General Motors has filed an application to register Chevrolet Onix and Onix as trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), GM Authority has discovered.
The automaker’s September 13th, 2016 applications specify that the mark will be used to name “Motor land vehicles, namely, automobiles.”
The GM Authority Take
General Motors markets a vehicle called Chevrolet Onix in various South American markets. Built in Brazil, the five-door, subcompact hatchback rides on GM’s Gamma 2 platform shared with various subcompact vehicles from GM, including the Chevrolet Sonic. As such, the Onix and its sedan variant, the Chevrolet Prisma, serve as lower-cost alternatives to the Sonic in those markets.
Be that as it may, we find it highly unlikely that The General will bring the Onix to the U.S. or Canada — whether to replace the Sonic or sell it alongside it — since the Onix was developed specifically for developing markets. For this reason, we find GM’s filing for these Onix trademarks specifically with the USPTO quite intriguing.
Stay tuned to GM Authority as we follow Chevy Onix news as well as for continuous GM news coverage.
Comments
Attractive…better than Yaris or Sonic.
It is very attractive, especially with the Malibu-style grill. But it’s sedan cousin, the Prisma, looks even better with the grill. And both look wider than the Sonic hatch and sedan.
The Onix is definitely not bad looking, but to call it better-looking than the Sonic is like calling the Chevy Epica better-looking than the new Malibu. Either way, styling is all subjective, but that’s my preference.
That’s true. Also, I was just stating it looked wider. But still, everyone has their own opinions.
I have agree, that the wider look gives it a more aggressive and sporty look , which is needed among the Chevy car lineup to further separate it from Buick. The exterior styling needs to make people give the car a second look immediately, which can be enhanced by offering Bi-xenon headlamps as standard with LED taillamps. As you move up to the “Premier” model, they could add some premium touches like KIA and Hyundai do that aren’t offered on other vehicles in the class. People are willing to start with a bargain basement car and to add features they want along the way. When they were introducing the Onix, I thought it should have been in the US market, as the Sonic seemed like it was only appealing to a certain market. The Onix’s design seemed to be more conservative but still seemed to have a sportier character. Since it seems Buick won’t get anything this small, they could take a MINI approach with a customization choices (exterior/interior packages). Since the car is already small, black shouldn’t be the only interior choice.
http://caranddriverbrasil.uol.com.br/segredos/projecoes/segredo-saiba-tudo-sobre-o-onix-renovado/11321#
This is one of the best takes on what the next gen Onix could look like. Add a little more aggression to the stance and fascias, you have yourself a subcompact champion.
If they are replacing the Sonic with this then they could step up the content and offer something more competitive to the against the Note, Fiesta, Rio and Fit. Maybe a slightly longer wheelbase with sportier appeal and interior that is class leading.
The freshened 2017 Sonic does a great job of competing and out-competing the models you mention. No need to step up the content on it either, since it’s already “stepped up” on this model:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/gm/chevrolet/sonic/2017-sonic/
And despite the current Sonic’s competitiveness, it’s also the oldest model in its segment.