At the beginning of the 2011 model year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised the way it evaluates vehicles. The long-standing authority in the field of light-duty safety made sure that it would be even more difficult to earn a top ranking meaning that manufactures are working extra hard on crash-worthiness. Gathering up all five stars for overall safety, the newly released 2012 Chevrolet Sonic is proof that General Motors is taking the security of their passengers seriously. “We developed Sonic to exceed customer expectations of subcompacts in terms of segment-leading safety features,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of vehicle safety.
The NHTSA’s revamped New Car Assessment Program now takes into consideration safety features and technology such as electronic stability control. New tests such as the side pole impact with various objects were also introduced. With 10 standard air bags, StabiliTrak stability control, rollover sensors and OnStar, the Sonic packs a lot of safety into one tidy compact. And as it rolls away with a five star crash rating, it returns to the GM garage to join the other nine cars and trucks with NHTSA top rankings in the brand’s stable.
Source: Chevrolet
