10 Safest Small Cars in America... we have them!

If you're looking for a safe car, look at Team Auto Group.

For 2012, General Motors has four of the safest cars in the United States: the Buick Verano; Chevrolet Cruze; Chevrolet Sonic; and Chevrolet Volt. And the Sonic and Cruze start at under $20,000. 

Ten cars were chosen as the safest in America, from a list of 35, with General Motors taking up nearly 50% of the top 10 list... we think that's a pretty incredible accomplishment. 

Buick Verano 

This luxury-oriented adaptation of the compact Chevrolet Cruze sedan packs no less than 10 airbags, including knee-height airbags for the driver and front passenger and seat-mounted airbags for rear riders. Also standard is General Motors’ OnStar safety/communications system that automatically engages to seek assistance if a crash occurs. - Forbes.com

Chevy Cruze

Feeling more upscale than most compact cars, the Cruze is a solid choice for those who want to downsize their rides. In addition to the basics, the Cruze includes 10 standard airbags, including rear seat-mounted and front knee-height airbags. Also included is the OnStar communications/safety system that features automatic crash notification. - Forbes.com

Chevy Sonic

All new for 2012 the Chevy Sonic is a sophisticated and engaging subcompact car. Like the larger Cruze with which it shares powertrains and other components it comes with 10 airbags, including rear seat-mounted and front knee-height airbags, along with the OnStar communications/safety system that automatically calls for assistance in the event of a collision. - Forbes.com

Chevy Volt

Though at over $39,000 it's costly for what amounts to a compact car, the Volt is an "extended range electric vehicle" that can run for around 40 miles on a charge before a small gas engine takes over to run a generator. It’s officially rated at a combined gas/electric 94 mpg, Knee-height airbags for the driver and front passenger are included, along with the OnStar safety/communications system that affords automatic crash notification. - Forbes.com

Chevy Sonic earns five-star safety rating

The Chevy Sonic - both sedan and hatchback models - earned five-star safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration this week. A five-star rating is the highest possible rating a vehicle can receive after frontal and side crash tests and rollover resistance training. 


The Chevy Sonic comes standard with 10 airbags - front, side and curtain - stability and traction control, and a heavy-duty steel frame. More features are listed below via General Motors. 


Come to Team Auto Group today and test drive a sedan or hatchback model. We have a variety of colors available - red, orange, gray, black... and some fully loaded, some basic. You can also call and make an appointment to come out and see one - 704-216-8000. 

Watch the crash video


From GM:

The Sonic is designed to help drivers avoid crashes, while protecting occupants in a crash. Sonic offers an exceptionally strong body structure through the incorporation of a single welded side ring unit and more than 60 percent of the vehicle safety cage consisting of high-strength steel. Other standard safety features include:

• Driver and front passenger dual-stage frontal air bags, seat-mounted side pelvic/thorax air bags, knee air bags and head curtain side air bags with rollover protection that cover front and outboard rear seating rows. The Sonic also has side impact air bags in the outboard rear seating positions for a total of ten standard air bags.
• Rollover sensors, which can activate the head-curtain side air bags if sensors determine an imminent rollover. In a rollover, the air bags stay inflated longer to provide increased occupant protection.
• StabiliTrak electronic stability control helps the driver maintain control by comparing the path being steered by the driver with the actual response and, when necessary, applying the brakes or adjusting the throttle or a combination of both.
• Power-assisted front disc and rear drum brakes with ABS, full-function traction control and panic brake assist that activates when an emergency braking maneuver is detected. The system automatically develops additional brake pressure to more quickly engage ABS
• Front safety belt pretensioners to reduce forward occupant movement and load-limiting retractors to help manage forces during a collision
• OnStar, which features the Automatic Crash Response System that uses GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in the event that a crash is detected.

Starting with 2011 models, NHTSA introduced tougher tests and more rigorous requirements for its 5-star ratings that provide more information about safety feature performance and crash-avoidance technologies. Changes included a new side pole test simulating a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

Pretty photos of Chevy Sonic in Downtown Salisbury, NC

Team Auto Group has participated in each of Downtown Salisbury Incorporated's Friday Nights Out this year, which celebrates downtown businesses and community, and last Friday was Holiday Night Out so we decided to take the five door Chevy Sonic.

Folks really loved the Chevy Sonic. Families crawled inside, got behind the wheel, and one even got in the trunk/hatch of the car to see how roomy it was. Everyone had the same thing to say - "It's a really cute and fun car, cheap, and gets great gas mileage!" Those are the same things everyone here at Team Auto Group think of the Sonic, too!

Not only did we interact with families, we got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus and listen to Christmas carols sung by a quartet of carolers who strolled through the streets of Historic Salisbury. Big thank you to Downtown Salisbury, Inc. for giving us such a great location on the corner of South Main and West Innes.

Here are some more photos and a video of the carolers.