Corporate Newsroom United States

MARK REUSS (President, GM North America)

Well, good evening everyone… and a job well done for hanging in there today… we're really glad you're with us.

This is our all-new small car -- the Chevrolet Sonic...

and Sonic is kicking off Chevrolet's 100th year.

Sonic is a statement of what can be expected of this

foundational brand in years to come.

It blends the practicality of a small car

with a passion for driving.

Smaller than the Chevrolet Cruze,

Sonic is available in two body styles…

the sporty five-door, which we revealed in Paris…

and this stylish four-door, making its world debut here today.

Both models offer more rear-seat roominess than Ford Fiesta, and the sedan offers best-in-class trunk capacity.

The standard level of features in these cars is designed to beat other entries, not just compete with them.

Features like heated seats...

OnStar with Turn-by-Turn navigation...

and the connectivity features that newer buyers expect,

like USB and Bluetooth…

each one easy to use and designed

to minimize driver distraction.

You can even download mobile apps to your smartphone and access several vehicle features remotely…

for instance, you can check your fuel gauge or even unlock your car right from your phone.

And like the Cruze, Sonic offers the most comprehensive safety package in its segment… including 10 air bags, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and much more.

Then there's Sonic's vehicle dynamics.

This car was tuned for the U.S. market by our Corvette suspension engineers, right here in Milford, Michigan.

There's a definite emphasis on damped control, coupled with near perfect isolation, and handling that some of the other entrants simply don't consider.

Of course, tuning only delivers the goods if there's great hardware fundamentals to work with.

Sonic's all-new structure is among the stiffest in the segment.

That provides a solid foundation to get the most out of the MacPherson struts up front…

and a semi-independent torsion beam at the rear.

Customers will find responsiveness and ride comfort… characteristics you don't usually see in this part of the market.

They'll also get a superb powertrain.

The available 1.4L Ecotec Turbo offers 138 horsepower and comes with a six-speed manual transmission.

That's 20 more horsepower than Honda Fit.

And we still expect it to achieve 40 MPG highway.

The standard 1.8L Ecotec is paired with a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission -- a rare choice in the segment.

Sonic's progressive styling was designed with an eye toward self-expression and personalization.

We developed a concept to explore the possibilities.

So here it is!

Ladies and gentlemen...the Z-Spec Concept!

The Chevrolet Z-Spec Concept combines factory-engineered accessories with tuner parts for a striking personal statement.

We introduced several Chevrolet Z-Spec concepts at SEMA a short while back.

It's a way to reach performance-oriented buyers with affordable packages to customize their car.

So whether you gravitate to

- the hot-hatch,

- the stylish sedan,

- or an easy-to-customize ride,

the Chevrolet Sonic is designed to turn heads away from the more established nameplates when it arrives this fall.

But the real difference is how much fun this small car is to drive.

We hope you'll agree when you get a chance to drive it for yourself.

The Sonic is an ideal way for Chevrolet to follow up on the launch of the Cruze.

And we will build it right here in southeastern Michigan at our Orion Assembly plant.

In fact, Sonic will be the only small car built in the United States -- by any manufacturer

Ford, Honda, Toyota and all the others build their small cars somewhere else.

Sonic will be made in the U.S.A. - and yes, Chevy Runs Deep!

And as an engineer who was involved in the development of this car...I'm personally very proud of what we're bringing to market.

As great as Sonic is, it's just one of several new products from Chevrolet.

Here to tell you more is the U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing, Perry…

CHRIS PERRY (U.S. Vice President of Chevrolet Marketing)

Thanks, Mark.

2010 was a great year for Chevrolet… sales were up 16% here in the United States with roughly 1.6 million vehicles sold, making Chevrolet the second-largest brand in the U.S.

And we're just getting started.

When Sonic hits the streets this fall, it will join Chevrolet's growing family of small and compact cars designed to be

fuel-efficient and fun to drive.

The all-new Cruze, already a success around the world, is off to a great start here in the U.S. as customers discover the value that it represents.

It has more room than other compacts... lots of upscale amenities... and class-leading standard safety features.

In fact, Cruze is the first compact to earn a 5-star crash test rating from NHTSA under the newly revised and more stringent assessment process.

And our high-mileage Cruze Eco is arriving now.

Rated at 42 mpg highway, it's the most fuel-efficient traditional gasoline-powered vehicle in the U.S. -- even beating some hybrids.

No

Asterisk

Required

As you know, the Chevrolet Volt has been honored with several significant awards.

Just this morning it was named North American Car of the Year, and we couldn't be more proud.

It's the electric car that can be your only car… and it's helping to change perceptions of what an electric car can be.

Volt will also help us change how people think about Chevrolet.

And while we're just three months into the launch, it's already changing perceptions of the brand

around the world.

Our commitment to efficiency and environmental matters goes even further.

Here in the United States we've committed to investing $40-million in community projects that promise to reduce carbon emissions on the local level…

projects involving energy efficiency, renewable energy and tree planting that can reduce carbon emissions by as much as 8 million metric tons all told.

Our gas-friendly to gas-free line-up extends to Equinox… the most fuel-efficient vehicle in the crossover segment.

December was our best sales month yet for Equinox, as it continues to be one of the fastest-turning vehicles in the business.

And in its first full year of production, the Camaro Coupe outsold the Mustang Coupe, Convertible and GT500 combined last year.

Next month we'll open a whole new chapter when the Camaro Convertible arrives in Chevrolet showrooms…

bringing Chevrolet performance to more customers looking for open-air fun.

On the truck side, we launched the strongest, most powerful truck we've ever made.

It's Motor Trend's 2011 Truck of the Year…

the new Silverado HD.

And with our proven and reliable Duramax diesel and Allison transmission -- now more powerful and efficient than ever before -- it's no wonder our Heavy Duties

are bringing in new customers and driving our increased truck sales.

So we have a great collection of fresh new products, with more on the way… all helping to build on our momentum and turn more and more customers into Chevrolet enthusiasts.

That momentum and enthusiasm also extends to the racetrack, where Chevrolet Racing continues to conquer new ground.

We finished off 2010 as a double World Champion with the Cruze taking the Manufacturers' WTCC Title… and Yvan Muller winning the Drivers' WTCC Championship.

On this side of the pond, Jimmie Johnson picked up his 5th-straight NASCAR Sprint Cup title

in his #48 Chevrolet… while Team Chevy captured its eighth consecutive Manufacturer's Cup -- our 34 th in the 60 years it's been awarded.

We also announced that Chevrolet will return to Indianapolis in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series with a new twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V-6 racing engine.

It's a strong indicator that Chevrolet's performance heritage is alive and well as we launch into 2011.

And it couldn't be more appropriate.

2011 is an important year for us.

This is the year we celebrate the 100 th anniversary of Chevrolet…

A company that started right here in Detroit as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911…

It was built on the cornerstones of reliability, value, and a passion for performance.

Take a look…

DAN AKERSON (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, General Motors

Yes... November 3 rd, 2011 marks the

100th Anniversary of Chevrolet.

For millions of Chevrolet customers in North America…

and increasingly around the world…

Chevrolet represents what it has for generations --

value… reliability… durability… and expressive design.

Chevrolet's centennial reminds us of our responsibility to uphold these qualities.

It also reminds us of the need to keep pushing on the technology front -- like we're doing with the Chevrolet Volt – the North American car of the year…

And also on fuel economy -- think Sonic and Cruze ECO…

on the capability front, with Silverado and Equinox…

and on performance, with Camaro and Corvette.

With over 200 million Chevrolets sold over the past 100 years, many people around the world have a personal connection to Chevrolet.

So it's important for us to take time to reflect on the passion and emotion the brand has enjoyed with customers over the last 100 years… and to build on it.

Over 4.2 million Chevrolet vehicles were sold in more than 130 countries last year.

That's roughly one Chevrolet sold every 7-and-a-half seconds somewhere across the globe.

Chevrolet also accounts for over 53 percent of GM's worldwide business.

More than 60 percent of those sales come from outside

the United States...

where Chevrolet has grown, on average, some 30 percent each year over the last decade.

So thanks in large part to Chevrolet, GM is better positioned than any other auto company

to take advantage of the industry's huge global

growth potential… especially in emerging markets like Brazil, Russia, China and India.

About one-third of Chevrolet's global volume was sold in those countries last year.

Today, we're building on this momentum… growing Chevrolet's presence around the world to assure a sound and vibrant future for the brand and for GM…

in the U.S. and around the world.

In terms of technology, we're looking to define where the industry is headed and continue to break new ground.

The Volt is just a glimpse of what's possible --

and our goal is to make Chevrolet one of the industry's fuel economy leaders wherever we do business.

We'll do that by building on Chevrolet's universal appeal of dependability, fuel efficiency and exceptional value…

characteristics that have endured these 100 years.

We took the unusual step of asking for the last press conference of the day -- the end of what has been a very long day for all of you.

We did that because we wanted you to help us kick-off the Chevrolet Centennial with a celebration.

So we invite you to kick back and relax, share a toast to the past, and help us usher in the next hundred years of Chevrolet.

Thank you very much.