General Motors today revealed several concept vehicles featuring stylized twists on Chevrolet's existing small-car lineup.
The cars will be shown off in public for the first time at the 2012 SEMA Show in Las Vegas from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3.
SEMA attracts about 60,000 enthusiasts interested in performance vehicles, stylized design and accessories such as unique paint colors and sharp interior aesthetics.
GM also today said it would sell a special kit that can be used to transform the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic into a race car. The so-called B-Spec modifications will be sold in the first quarter of 2013 at Chevrolet Performance retail locations with pricing starting at nearly $3,000, said Jim Campbell, GM's U.S. vice president of performance vehicles and motorsports.
Campbell said 59 percent of the 39 vehicles GM plans to show off at SEMA are small cars.
"We want to make Chevrolet the brand of choice for performance, personalization and capability," he said. "The heart and soul of SEMA is really about performance."
GM, seeking to highlight its smallcars, plans to show off several concept versions of existing vehicles. Based on customer reaction, some vehicles revealed at SEMA could eventually be selected for production.
"We like to test things at SEMA," Campbell said.
The reveals include:
-- The Chevrolet Cruze Upscale concept, which has a "burnished brandy metallic" exterior with a brown leather-trimmed interior, custom wheels, high-performance brakes and yellow-accent leather stitching.
-- The Chevrolet Spark Sinister concept, which boasts what GM called an "aggressive" look to mesh with the night-racing that occurs in the industrial districts of big cities.
-- Two special designs of the Spark designed to appeal to women, including a concept called "The Color Run" and the "'Pink Out' Cancer Awareness" concept.
-- The Chevrolet Sonic Z-Spec 1 concept and Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 concept. With a "synergy green" exterior, the performance-oriented Z-Spec 1 has a special exhaust system that enhances the vehicle's driving performance and lowered ride height.
-- The "abalone white tricoat" Z-Spec 2.5 boasts concept wheels with "signal red" edges along with door panels and instrument panels wrapped in jet black leather, jet black suede and orange suede.
-- --Spark Z-Spec concept, which features a "salsa red" exterior with body graphics in matte black, a Z-spec grille and lowered ride height.
