CHEVROLET SONIC DIGITAL EFFORTS HELP DRIVE EARLY SALES

By General Motors Corporation - The all-new Chevrolet Sonic is building a digital reputation and a legion of fans by bungee jumping, sky diving and successfully completing a skateboard-style kick flip. The one thing missing in its first six months on sales -- traditional TV advertising.

That ends Sunday during Super Bowl XLVI when "Sonic Anthem" chronicles what the subcompact has been up to while posting month-to-month sales increases and rising to the upper echelon of subcompact sales leaders.

Sonic, the only subcompact made in America, more than doubled the sales in January of the January 2011 sales for the vehicle it replaced.

"The Sonic is a great new addition to the Chevrolet line-up and we are encouraged by the steady increase in sales that we are seeing each month," said Alan Batey, vice president, Chevrolet Sales and Service. "In addition to the early sales momentum of the Sonic, the rest of the Chevrolet passenger cars are building on the tremendous sales success of last year posting stronger than expected numbers in the first month of the New Year."

The first phase of Sonic marketing focused on reaching younger consumers through jaw-dropping stunts like the Sonic sky dive, and the skateboard-style kick flip -- a 360-degree rotation in mid-air -- successfully executed by MTV-reality and action sports-star Rob Dyrdek.

Digital efforts like The Game of Firsts where Chevrolet challenges the public to do something first, post it to letsdothis.com, and get people to love it, for a chance to win a new Sonic. Sonic has nearly 300,000 "likes" on its Facebook fan page, more than any other vehicle in the segment.

"The launch of the Sonic is allowing the Chevrolet brand to engage with consumers on a more personal level," said Chris Perry, vice president, Chevrolet Marketing and Strategy. "Focusing our early efforts on the digital space gave us the freedom to attempt some of our own firsts and establish a solid presence for the new Sonic nameplate."

The next phase of the Sonic launch includes several advertisements that will begin airing Sunday during the telecast of Super Bowl XLVI. Sonic Anthem features footage of the Sonic stunts as well as footage of the Sonic making its first music video with the band OK GO.

The Sonic, delivers 40 mpg highway with class-leading acceleration when paired with the 1.4L Turbo and six-speed manual transmission. The Sonic is offered in two body styles: a four-door sedan and a five-door hatchback. Each is designed to deliver outstanding rear-seat roominess and cargo space.

Sonic is built at the General Motors Orion Assembly Center in Michigan, which received a $545-million investment in upgrades and retooling and helped restore approximately 1,000 jobs in the Detroit area.

To learn more about the all-new Sonic, visit the Chevy Sonic Facebook page; follow on Twitter at @ChevyLife or check out letsdothis.com.