Chevrolet Sonic RS Priced From $20,995

[RS Turbo]

This vehicle is priced fine. Look at the overpriced Focus ST. yes you do get a great powertrain but for 5k more as a base price with little options. 5k is a ton of upgrades for the sonic and it beats the fuel mileage by 20%. Looking at the Cost difference in the RS to the LTZ for what you get is a bargin! Build them they will sell....

 

[J T]

Two things come into play, off the top of my head. First and foremost is supplier capabilities and/or projecting demand to match supplier capabilities. There are several items unique to the Sonic RS, the more complex such as the seats requiring a greater lead time/manufacturing time.

The second is CAFE. Most specialty vehicles (frankly I can not think of an exception so should be all) carry lower epa mpg averages than the rest of the vehicle line. Based on the above referenced mpg report, this may not be as much of a consideration as my first stated reason.

Chevy does not intentionally limit production to make a car more valuable in the future. They will make as many of a model as parts available will allow along with dealers willingness to buy. Chevy would have little concern if every Sonic RS assembled sat on the dealers lot as they get there money whether the dealer sells the car or does not.

This is my answer to the question, others with greater knowledge should add or negate. I am certain I am missing something.

Makes sense. Just wondering, though...what if there were orders put in that greatly exceeded the 5% limitation? Would an auto manufacturer reconsider and perhaps try to produce more to fit the demand, or wait until the following model year as someone else suggested? Historically, how etched in stone have these production limitations been for special models?

It seems that in a period where automotive manufacturers have been hurting, they'd be willing to be flexible in the demand for a particular type of auto exceeded their production limit. Then again, this all may be a moot point because the demand for the RS could also be under their 5% production number.

Just some random thoughts on a Thursday afternoon.

 

[laborsmith]

Here is the closest I can come to answer: the Camaro ZL1 arrived with great anticipation and comparatively speaking good price (like our RS on this forum). Chevy had set certain constraints that seemed as arbitrary as the RS 5% but were (in my opinion) related to what parts and components suppliers could deliver. In the end, many 2012 m.y. ZL1 orders had to be rolled over to 2013 m.y. despite the best intentions of Chevy. Would Chevy have preferred to sell all the accepted orders 2012s? I say YES.

I never so a constraint % applied to the total number of 2012 ZL1 builds, but it looks like perhaps 1800 or 1900 were built and several dozen orders were not built making for maybe 5% or say a percentage point less.

As for Al at the Inside News I find he provides good info; I also find there to be an excessive amount of 1) whining and 2) GM bashing over there.

As to will I order or will I wait, my history says I will order. That is why I never vowed to quit smoking. I stopped smoking in the late seventies and have yet to resume but I still haven't quit.

Laborsmith

 

[J T]

Thanks for your thoughts. There is much I've never learned about the automotive business, but being educated here on a daily basis makes up for some of that.

And congrats on "stopping." I stopped 7 years ago after nearly 20 years of on-again, off-again smoking. At times I miss it, as there's nothing like taking a deep drag after finishing a greasy Whopper from BK.

But...I don't miss smelling like smoke all the time, as well as the damage to my health.

But anyway...thanks again for taking the time to share some of your experience.

 

[Bogus]

Just got off the phone with my contact. He gave me his estimated OTD price after fees, taxes, destination charge, etc...

'13 Sonic RS, manual trans. (auto will be more)
With sunroof: $23,127.69
Without sunroof: $22,206.82

*This is NOT the accurate final price!* But it will be close to this.

Also, this is the full retail price not including rebates or discounts.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Preferred pricing and the love it or leave it rebate are both ending. My guess is there will be little to no discounts on these at first.

 

[Bogus]

He said there should be rebates from $500 - $1000, maybe more.

Invoice is around $19,000+.

 

[Bogus]

Is there enough useful info in here for this to be stickied?

 

[RS Turbo]

Preferred pricing and the love it or leave it rebate are both ending. My guess is there will be little to no discounts on these at first.

Dont count on that yet till your chickens have hatched!!! There will always be prefered Pricing!

Its not a ZR1...

I have not seen a rebate on a Models "package" that is restricted.

Probably will be an additional Rebates as well for EVA.

 

[laborsmith]

No preferred pricing for the ZL1 either.

Laborsmith

 

[Bogus]

What is preferred pricing?

 

[RS Turbo]

Vendor or Employee price... You know COUSIN PRICE!!!!

 

[Bogus]

Oooo That'll be me

 

[laborsmith]

Supplier, family, and credit union member pricing. I good basis for beginning negotiation, about midway between invoice and msrp.

Employee pricing is less than invoice. The dealer is paid a set fee for each employee pricing sale and the amount the dealer pays is the amount the employee pays. Example: MSRP is $15,000, Invoice is $14,000, Preferred Pricing is $14,500 and Employee Pricing is $12,500. The dealer profit for a Preferred Pricing sale is $500 plus holdback. The dealer makes no profit for the Employee Pricing sale, but the vehicle costs the dealer $12,500. The dealer is paid an amount for the processing of the sale: $400 for a small car, $500 for a regular sized car, $600 for a Camaro or full sized car, and $750 for a Corvette.

It gets more complicated. If a dealer participates (voluntary) then every vehicle is available for employee pricing EXCEPT Corvette (which can be but does not have to be) and certain excludeds, currently the Camaro ZL1 is excluded from both Preferred and Employee pricing.

The above number are rounded and intended to be approximates.

There are additional caveats regarding Employee Pricing, such as a vehicle can not be resold within a year (Corvette 2 years) of being titled.

Not all dealers participate in either plan. Dealers closest to Plants usually (probably all) do participate. If I recall correctly, a dealer can participate in Preferred but does not have to in Employee but if participating in Employee has to participate in Preferred. And the Corvette can be excluded but if a dealer sells one Corvette under Employee Pricing than all its Corvette sales are subject to Employee Pricing (providing the purchaser is eligible for employee pricing).

Wow, a lot of words, even for me.

Laborsmith

 

[Sonny@bnr]

Yeah that was fun reading lol

 

[Johnny Alien]

He said there should be rebates from $500 - $1000, maybe more.

Invoice is around $19,000+.

I was told by the people I know at the dealer that they don't know in advance what is coming. But if that is true than I am shocked. Current rebates on the 2012 models are $250....so that is 2-4X the current rebates on a brand new limited model. Not saying it's not happening just surprised if it's true.

 

[laborsmith]

Ordering a retail sold has so many rules and each rule has so many exceptions to prove the rule I do wonder how that person designated by the dealer to order can function. Preferred vs Employee is a small slice of the pie.

First there is a guide number. (The number of vehicles in a vehicle line Chevy expects you to order over the course of the year,)

Then the weekly consensus based on the bi-weekly allocation.

During that process, pass one and pass two.

There is even a pass three if consensus needs it.

Lord have mercy! How can any one person do it?

And do it right enough to keep the store solvent?


Laborsmith

 

[Bogus]

Ahh very informative. Then I was wrong. He's giving me invoice price.

 

[RS Turbo]

Ahh very informative. Then I was wrong. He's giving me invoice price.

From looking at what you posted that was MSRP Price.

Gm has a set pricing and prefered pricing is for vendors and employees and then employees get an addition discount called EVA. If you PM me what you exactly ordered I can tell you the price not including Tax for ya. I would also need to kn ow if yoiu are getting perfered pricing or Employee price as of today but EVA and rebates will change on 9-5-12

 

[Johnny Alien]

EVA and rebates will change on 9-5-12

And are you aware of new rebates that are coming out? I was told that information was not released until the previous rebate ends.