The next upcoming subcompact from General Motors, the Chevrolet Sonic, will undoubtedly be mostly a city car. Because of this, Chevrolet will fit the Sonic with one feature that will probably go unnoticed, but will easily be appreciated. On all 2012 Sonic models with manual transmissions, hill-hold technology will be standard.
“It will retain the braking force that the driver applied with the chassis control system and hold the vehicle in place” said John Buttermore, lead development engineer for the Sonic. When the clutch of the the Sonic is placed all the way to the floor, a pitch sensor will indicate if the car is on a hill depending on the tilt of the car. It will then trigger the stability control to hold the brakes after the brake pedal is released. “That’s long enough for the driver to safely apply the accelerator and let out the clutch for a smooth start, always heading in the right direction.”
The 2012 Chevrolet Sonic will go on sale later this year and will carry a base MSRP of $14,495.
