Chevrolet is launching ChevySmallCars.com, an all-new ‘lifestyle-oriented’ website focused on its small car offerings, the Spark minicar, Sonic and Trax small SUV. The Chevrolet website comes as U.S. small car sales continue to recede, so much so that even Toyota has abandoned its Scion brand that targeted young first time buyers.
During April, U.S. Spark sales dropped -18%, Sonic -41% and Cruze -32%, the best selling Chevrolet on a global basis. These are the finest small cars Chevrolet has ever engineered and built. General Motors needs to keep small car sales going to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy regulations – aka CAFE – while it prints money Chevy and GMC truck offerings.
“The Spark, Sonic and Trax all target a younger, more socially savvy buyer,” said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet director of cars and crossovers. “When we looked at reasons for purchase, cross consideration and demographics, we found a number of similarities. By aligning these products, we can be more strategic and create more engaging, sharable content that speaks directly to this audience.”
ChevySmallCars.com has content designed with a younger customer in mind, and – allegedly – do it in a way that allows visitors to engage and discover Chevy on their own terms. At the heart of the Chevrolet website is “Small Talk,” three short episodes featuring the Sonic, Spark or Trax, produced by Funny Or Die and hosted by comedian Al Madrigal. The videos will also appear on Funny Or Die.
Kickstand Band
In” Sonic Sessions,” the Kickstand Band perform one of their songs in a Sonic. It’s filmed in “raw style,” with the band’s music merging with ambient noise- see if you can tell the difference <grin>. The band illustrates the extremely tight interior space in the Sonic, playing their song on smaller instruments.
“Find Your Smallmate” gives visitors the opportunity to take a quiz and, based on their answers, matches a small car to their personality. This is said to be “a way for consumers to find the best small Chevy for their lifestyle.”
As part of the new small car initiatives Chevy will also use media outlets such as .Mic (sic), Complex and Thrillist (sic) in some markets.
