The Chevrolet Onix is a subcompact car marketed by Chevrolet. It was launched to replace the Chevrolet Corsa and some versions of the Chevrolet Celta. Mainly produced at General Motors Brazil's plants in Gravataí and São Caetano do Sul, the Onix is available in five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles. The sedan version is sold as the Chevrolet Onix Plus in Brazil and as the Onix Sedan in Colombia, while in Mexico the sedan is the only model offered. The Onix has also been assembled in Uzbekistan since 2022 by UzAuto Motors.

First generation (2012)

The first-generation Onix was available in three trim levels (LS, LT, and LTZ) with two four-cylinder engines: a 1.0-litre producing (petrol) or (ethanol), and a 1.4-litre producing (petrol) or (ethanol), available with automatic or five-speed manual transmission. In Brazil, the four-door sedan variant was known as the Chevrolet Prisma.

For 2016, the Onix and Prisma received a facelift along with interior improvements. A touchscreen was added with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. A crossover-styled variant called the Onix Activ was also introduced, with raised suspension, plastic body cladding, and a roof rack.

In late 2019, the Onix and Prisma were replaced in Brazil by the second-generation Onix and Onix Plus respectively.

Joy When the Onix and Prisma were facelifted in 2016, the base LS trim retained the original front end and became known as the Onix Joy and Prisma Joy. This left the LT as the base trim for the updated Onix and Prisma. In late 2019, the Onix and Prisma were replaced by the second-generation Onix and Onix Plus in Brazil; however, the Onix Joy and Prisma Joy remained on sale, now renamed simply Joy and Joy Plus and featuring the facelift styling that had previously been reserved for higher trim levels. The Joy and Joy Plus were built at the São Caetano do Sul plant in Brazil from 2019 through 2022, before production transferred to GM Colmotores in Colombia in early 2023. In 2024, as GM ceased operations in Colombia and Ecuador, the Joy was discontinued.

Technical details All versions feature front-wheel drive, MacPherson strut front suspension, and twist-beam rear suspension, along with dual airbags, ABS, and power steering. In February 2013, the Prisma sedan was launched with a boot capacity of 500 litres.

The 1.0-litre versions are fitted with 14-inch wheels, while 15-inch wheels are standard on 1.4-litre models.

Safety

Latin NCAP In December 2014, the Chevrolet Onix in its most basic Latin American market configuration with two airbags was evaluated under the Latin NCAP 1.0 assessment, achieving a three-star adult safety rating and a two-star child safety rating.

In May 2017, the Onix in its most basic configuration with two airbags and no ESC was re-evaluated under the Latin NCAP 2.0 assessment using the 2016 protocol, achieving a zero-star adult rating and a three-star child rating.

In January 2018, an updated Onix in its most basic configuration with two airbags and no ESC was evaluated under the same protocol, achieving a three-star adult rating and a three-star child rating.

Gallery

Second generation (2019)

In April 2019, a new sedan named the Onix was launched in China under the Chinese name . The Onix replaced both the Sonic and Cavalier in the Chinese market and is slightly larger than the first-generation Prisma. It is built on the GEM (Global Emerging Markets) platform.

In China, the Onix is offered with a turbocharged, direct-injected 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine rated at and of torque, with a claimed fuel economy of . A naturally aspirated 1.0-litre three-cylinder DVVT engine is also available on the manual 320 trim. Brazilian versions use port injection on both the turbocharged and naturally aspirated variants.

The first variant to debut was the Onix Redline, featuring black exterior trim with red accents and a two-tone interior.

The Onix has also been produced in Uzbekistan by UzAuto Motors since 2022, with sales commencing at the end of that year.

Markets

Brazil In Brazil, the new sedan debuted in September 2019 as the Onix Plus, while the hatchback went on sale in November 2019. In addition to the LT and LTZ trim levels carried over from the previous generation, a new top-level Premier trim was added. The Onix Plus received a five-star rating from Latin NCAP.

Both body styles are available with a 1.0-litre port-injection engine in naturally aspirated (82 hp) and turbocharged (116 hp) forms, paired with six-speed manual or automatic transmissions; the automatic option is exclusive to the 1.0 Turbo. All versions include six airbags, ABS, and electronic stability control.

In 2019, the Chevrolet Onix was the best-selling car model in Brazil for the fifth consecutive year, with 268,066 units sold, and was also the best-selling model in Latin America.

Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay As engines up to 1.0 L do not benefit from reduced taxation in these markets, entry-level versions use a naturally aspirated 1.2-litre engine paired exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission in place of the smaller unit offered in Brazil. Turbocharged versions retain the 1.0-litre displacement and are available with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic. Unlike Brazilian models, these variants do not offer flex fuel capability.

Mexico The Onix was launched in Mexico in spring 2020, positioned between the Cavalier and the Sail (marketed as the Aveo in that country).

The LT and LS trims use a turbocharged 1.0-litre engine producing and of torque, with a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. The top Premier trim uses a turbocharged 1.2-litre engine producing and of torque, available only with a six-speed automatic. All versions include six airbags, ABS, electronic stability control, a 7-inch infotainment screen, OnStar services, and a reversing camera with parking sensors.

Colombia The second-generation Onix was launched in Colombia as the Onix Turbo in March 2020. The first-generation Onix remained on sale and was renamed the Chevrolet Joy from November 2020. The sedan variant was marketed as the Onix Sedán.

Uzbekistan The Onix has been produced in Uzbekistan by UzAuto Motors since 2022, with sales commencing in late 2022. In early 2023, UzAuto Motors began accepting orders for the Onix Premier trim. The UzAuto Motors Powertrain plant also produces the 1.2-litre turbocharged CSS Prime three-cylinder engine used in the Uzbekistan-market Onix.

2025 refresh An updated Onix was introduced in Brazil in July 2025 for the 2026 model year. Changes include a new front end with optional LED headlights, an 8-inch digital instrument cluster paired with an 11-inch infotainment screen, and a more efficient engine with a claimed economy of up to .

Powertrain Model Engine Power Torque Fuel economy 320 "New generation Ecotec" LGB 1.3 L I3 VVT (petrol) at 6,200 rpm at 4,000–4,400 rpm 325T, Redline 325T "Eighth generation Ecotec" LIV 1.0 L I3 turbo-petrol at 5,800 rpm at 1,350–4,500 rpm

Safety

Latin NCAP The Onix Plus and Hatchback, in their basic six-airbag configurations, both received five stars for adult occupants, five stars for child occupants, and an Advanced Award from Latin NCAP 2.0 in 2019.

Sales The Onix was Latin America's best-selling car in 2018, with 249,552 units sold. It was the best-selling car in Brazil from 2015 to 2020, before being overtaken by the Fiat Strada.

+ Year Brazil Argentina China Colombia Mexico 2012 18,151 2013 122,340 8,336 2014 150,838 7,488 2015 125,034 11,111 2016 153,380 18,011 50,786 2017 188,668 35,386 188,319 3,337 2018 210,466 30,286 252,108 5,312 2019 268,085 16,545 101,765 9,454 2020 218,770 16,569 39,261 8,659 25,283 2021 128,352 8,724 15,325 5,659 12,362 2022 160,506 6,070 13,223 10,126 26,280 2023 176,946 5,395 25 5,717 18,545 2024 157,443 3,811 4,126 17,919 2025 132,854 11,764

Notes

References

External links

Onix at Chevrolet Brazil Onix sedan at Chevrolet Mexico