I like the Mini Cooper. I really like the Mini Coupe concept.

What would happen if GM made a 2 seat coupe with a sleek roofline based on the Sonic? Well, they could have a cheap domestic alternative to the Mini Coupe. If they tuned the suspension and brakes, tossed in a turbo 4 with more than 220 hp and some nice wheels, they might have something. Anyway, this is one idea I have tossed around and this is what I came up with,



Yeah I know I forgot to change the Aveo plate from the concept pic.

 

Personally I think it would fail if it wasn't a hatchback.

I'm also no longer convinced that the millennial generation cares about 2-door coupes. In studying generational differences in the workplace the past 3-years, we've learned that they're pack animals and desire sporty vehicles that can carry all their friends and gear. That's why I think Hyundai may be onto something with the Veloster. (2-shorter passenger doors, 1-longer driver's door.) Ultimately a sporty Sonic vehicle will be geared toward younger buyers; so what kind of cars they're buying will be key.

 

After poking holes in your Regal idea, I know I'm going to come across as negative, but keep in mind I'm not simply degrading your ideas. I'm sending them into a more plausable direction where someone might say "Hmm.... that might work."

I too am a fan of the Mini Cooper. The thing's a go kart. But we have to get back to what makes the Cooper successful, and what can be sold.

First, you can't make a coupe that small. As mentioned, it has to be a hatchback.

Second, manufacturers are more likely to produce vehicles that have less investment. When you start changing up structures (ie: taking a tall, mini, hatchback sedan and turning it into a lowslung coupe) it draws the unwanted attention of accountants.

Finally, the Mini Cooper is a unique design that has a history that dates back at least 45 years. You simply aren't going to turn a Sonic (or a Focus, or a Hornet) into a direct Mini Cooper competitor. Therefore, you're gonna need to carve out a new niche which hopefully will be compared (in car mag comparison tests) to the Mini Cooper.

All this points to perhaps the most simplest and (perhaps to you) the least satisfying idea here. A 2 door Sonic hatchback that focuses on hardware and trim.

Get a vehicle like that that has more of a direct handling feel and response, better materials (the Mini's interior materials aren't that great), and a more responsive powertrain (tough to do, but not anywhere near impossible), and you very well might create a new "mini" that will gather a historic following over the next decade (keep in mind that this is the direction that youth performance is going) that will live on for some time.

Perhaps even creating a "retro" Sonic 40 years from now.

 

2011 Aveo starting MSRP, 11,965
2011 MINI starting MSRP, 19,400

There is a lot of room between the two.

I never said the concept couldn't be a hatch. A 350Z is a hatch, but it is referred to as a coupe. With the Cobalt SS, I know GM can make a great handling FWD car. A light weight sporty small "hatch" like this could get easily over 35 mpg and be fun to drive without looking like a tall box on 12 inch wheels.

Anyway, as I stated in my other post, it's not like GM or anyone with the resources to make my ideas happen even gives a damn, it's just an idea and that's it.

 

I think they are 3/4 correct. It should have 4 doors with the rears camouflaged by the design and the handles hidden.

Mini will be introducing a coupe version of the Cooper soon. Their first "three box" design with room for only 2 (although it was questionable if their previous cars actually had room for more than 2 to begin with).

 

Give me 4 doors (kids sooner or later) with a hatch and made in the US (not Mexico), I'd buy it.

 

Maybe not too many people are buying 2 door cars is because of the lack of good inexpensive choices.

 

Believe it or not, both the Sonic and the Focus are made in the US and come with hatches.

 

 

I actually think its a generational thing. If you look at the so-called "hot hatch" products out there, the two highly successful ones are the VW Golf and the Cooper, both which have a long history and loyal fan base. The next would be the Fiat 500, which is just now coming back to NA. How many buyers in the 2-door hatch configuration are millennials, vs. how many are GenXers or boomers looking for nostalgia?

I can't think of any newer model 2-door + hatch products out there, let alone any that are as successful as the three aforementioned. That is what you're up against. The Sonic as it stands might be the best configuration for GM to hit into the younger buyer market. That is unless they can make it retro; however I don't think the world is ready for, let alone demanding, a retro Chevy Chevette.

Now a retro Vega on the other-hand, might be a different story altogether. However if its done, it better be done right and be RWD.