sportiness Archives

Filed under: New York Auto Show, Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, GM

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec

2012 Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec – Click above for high-res image gallery

Extra spoilers and lower side skirts can look cool, but if the car doesn’t have any sort of augmented performance, it all seems pointless. Still, for those who want to give the appearance of being quick, Chevrolet will offer a line of Z-Spec dealer-installed accessories for its upcoming 2012 Sonic.

Chevrolet chose to debut its dot matrix-wrapped Sonic here at this year’s New York Auto Show, sporting a set of 17-inch painted alloys and a ground effects package. Why anyone would willingly choose such a visually awkward wrap is beyond us, but remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

No performance upgrades are presently available in the Z-Spec line, but customers will be able to roll the cost of the visual accessories into their monthly car payments at purchase time. See the not-so-fast sporty Sonic for yourself in our high-res gallery below.

Gallery: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec: New York 2011

Gallery: 2012 Chevrolet Sonic with Z-Spec accessories

2012 Chevrolet Sonic with Z-Spec accessories

New York 2011: Chevrolet Sonic’s Z-Spec accessories add illusion of sportiness originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: New York Auto Show, Budget, Sedan, Nissan

2012 Nissan Versa

2012 Nissan Versa – Click above for high-res image gallery

After Nissan unveiled its redesigned 2012 Versa sedan at the New York Auto Show yesterday, coverage was almost unanimous in declaring it, at best, inconspicuous. David Reuter, Nissan’s VP of Corporate Communications, tells Autoblog that’s fine:

“The Fiesta may have been getting the press, this is what was selling. We were up 20 percent last year. Our competitors have gone for sporty and styling, but that’s not what these buyers want. Subcompact buyers want a dependable, roomy car with good fuel economy, and they want the features and specs to feel they spent a lot more on a car than they did.”

The formula, inconspicuous as it might be, has worked: Nissan moved 99,705 Versa sedans and hatchbacks in 2010, running away from everything else in the class – next were the Honda Fit with 54,354, the Hyundai Accent with 51,975, and the Chevrolet Aveo with 48,623 units sold. Say what you will about the looks, with a segment-leading 103 cubic feet of room in the 2012 Versa and more standard features at a competitive price point, the momentum will likely continue.

Gallery: 2012 Nissan Versa: New York 2011

New York 2011: Nissan says subcompact buyers aren’t looking for styling, sportiness originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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