Chevrolet Sonic should get a 48V mild hybrid system in the 2028 lineup

The Chevrolet Sonic is expected to gain a mild hybrid version in the 2028 lineup, with the 48-volt MHEV system developed by General Motors in partnership with China’s SAIC. The information is from the Autos Segredos website.

A reader of the site photographed a prototype of Sonic camouflaged in the parking lot of a shopping mall in Canoas (RS), in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and a few kilometers from Gravataí, where the SUV is produced. According to the publication, the disguise does not hide visual changes, but the car ran with the new electrified set.

The novelty represents a course correction: the Sonic debuted this year without any level of electrification, and GM’s initial plan was to launch the 48-volt system in the models of São Caetano do Sul (SP) – a factory that received an extra investment of R$ 3.5 billion to adapt the lines to the production of electrified vehicles. Tracker and Montana are also tipped to receive the technology in the 2028 lineup.

What Makes a Mild Hybrid

The MHEV does not allow you to run in electric mode. The system uses a compact electric motor that accumulates the functions of alternator and starter motor, and which delivers 10.8 hp and 4 kgfm. This reserve comes into play mainly in starts, resumptions and overtaking, relieving the load on the combustion engine at times of greater demand.

The energy comes from braking: instead of dissipating into heat, it is recovered and stored in a 48-volt battery. The package also includes a start-stop function and electronic load management, which adjusts the operation of the electrical components according to the conditions of use. The typical gain of this type of solution is around 10% reduction in consumption.

In the Sonic, the set would work alongside the 1.0 turbo flex with 115 hp and 18,9 kgfm. The logic is similar to that of the mild hybrids that Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep already use in Brazil, but with a relevant difference: those operate on 12 volts, while the GM system adopts the 48-volt architecture, capable of providing more electric assistance.

Race against the competition

Haste has an address. Sonic’s direct rivals in the compact SUV segment have been incorporating some degree of electrification, and Chevrolet reached 2026 without any hybrid model in line in the country. GM promises to electrify the entire Brazilian portfolio by 2030, in a strategy that also includes plug-in hybrids.

Derived from the Onix and produced in Gravataí, the Sonic occupies the range between the hatch and the Tracker. The 2028 line should be presented throughout 2027, with no style changes compared to the current model.