Chevrolet launched its new sedan/saloon called Onix in China in March earlier this year. Up until now, the car was not available outside of its domestic market, but situation will soon change with the first test mule spotted in Brazil.
Chevrolet says the Onix range will arrive on the South American market in the coming autumn. There is a little bit of uncertainty surrounding the naming, though. Chevrolet already offers an ‘Onix’ hatchback in Brazil, as well as its sedan/saloon version called ‘Prism’. Both come based on the same Gamma architecture by GM, which is also used in the latest Spark, Cobalt, and Aveo. Rumors say Chevrolet intends to keep calling the upcoming sedan/saloon ‘Onix’, which could create considerable confusion among customers.
Based on the spy shots, the Brazil version of the car is almost identical to its Chinese counterpart. By the way, customers in China have access to a premium trim called ‘Redline’, which features red body ornaments, black side mirrors and new 16-inch wheels. It is not clear whether the same trim is coming to Brazil or not.
The Chinese sedan is 4,474 mm (14.68 ft.) long and has 2,600 mm (8.53 ft.) between the axles. The Old Chevrolet Prism sedan, which is still on sale in Brazil, measures only 4,282 mm (14.05 ft.) with 2,528 mm (8.29 ft.) of wheelbase. As such, chances are good that the new Onix sedan uses the new Chinese chassis and tech. Think Chevrolet Cruze in terms of dimensions.
The car will likely ship with a 1.0-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine rated at 125 hp (93 kW) and 180 Nm (134 lb-ft) of torque, linkable to either a six-speed automatic or a DCT.