en.Wedoany.com Reported - General Motors has launched the Chevrolet Onix ECO pure ethanol version in Brazil, a 2027 model available in both hatchback and sedan body styles, designed to meet the tax incentive conditions of Brazil's "Sustainable Car Program" (Programa Carro Sustentável). This version abandons the flex-fuel system, calibrating the 1.0-liter turbocharged engine to run exclusively on ethanol.
Brazil's ethanol fuel market peaked in 1986, accounting for 95.8% of light vehicle sales, but subsequently shrank dramatically due to a supply crisis caused by falling oil prices and soaring sugar prices. Ethanol fuel only gradually returned to the market after flex-fuel technology emerged in 2003. The tax strategy for this Onix ECO model centers on the "well-to-wheel" carbon emission accounting method adopted by the "Mover" program. This method not only evaluates tailpipe emissions but also incorporates the carbon footprint of the entire fuel production process. Compared to gasoline, ethanol can reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 70%, giving pure ethanol vehicles a significant advantage in the "Green IPI" assessment.
The manual transmission Onix, as a flex-fuel vehicle, already had a favorable tax rating. However, the version equipped with the 1.0 turbo engine and automatic transmission previously failed to secure the highest tax benefits due to the transmission's weight and higher global average fuel consumption. By eliminating the flex-fuel system and developing a dedicated engine calibration, General Motors improved the model's fuel economy metrics in the PBEV cycle. According to Fabio Morgan, Chief Engineer for GM South America Products, the pure ethanol version achieves fuel consumption of 11.1 km/l on ethanol, outperforming the flex-fuel version's 10.9 km/l. Engine power remains at 115 hp, with no changes to the mechanical assembly; calibration efforts focused on ignition strategy, combustion control, and engine peripheral management.
In terms of pricing, the Onix hatchback 1.0 Turbo automatic pure ethanol version is priced at R$103,190, a 7.8% reduction from the flex-fuel version's R$111,990; the launch promotional price is R$99,990. The Onix Plus sedan ethanol version is priced at R$106,990, a 6.3% reduction from the flex-fuel version's R$114,190; after the launch discount, it costs R$103,990. In terms of performance, the sedan ethanol version accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 10.5 seconds, 0.1 seconds faster than the flex-fuel version; its 80-120 km/h mid-range acceleration takes 8.3 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster. The launch of this model also reflects a trend among corporate clients, driven by stricter regulations and investor demands, to achieve carbon reduction goals by replacing fleet vehicles with cleaner models. In the Brazilian market, the purchase cost of an automatic ethanol Onix is lower than that of any electric vehicle currently on sale.
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