Chevrolet will display a total of 39 cars at the SEMA show in Las Vegas from Oct. 30 - Nov. 2. The company will mostly focus on its small cars at the show, sales of which are up 97 percent from last year.

The biggest news was on the Z-Spec options that will go into production next year. The parts are made to be installed by the customer, or can be rolled into the price of a new car and installed by a dealer.

Photo gallery: SEMA 2012 preview

The Sonic Z-Spec 1 concept comes with a Borla exhaust, a lowering kit from Chevy, performance brakes and 18-inch wheels with a green insert on one of the spokes to match its Synergy green. A 200-watt subwoofer kit was installed along with a premium stereo and the Chevy MyLink system.

The Sonic Z-Spec 2.5 concept was inspired by tuners and features a Pearl white paint. A ground-effects package adds sportiness while silver accents on the grille, fog lamps and door-trim contrast with the rest of the exterior. The concept also gets upgraded front brakes, premium radio, a cold-air intake and Borla exhaust.

The Spark Sinister concept carries a mix of rallying cues and Transformer-style body panels. The car is black with orange accents and Chevy bowtie graphics. A big wing sits on top of the car's rear. The Sinister is lower than the stock car and sports 18-inch wheels. Chevy says the car should “look at home in the shadows of the city's industrial district.” We're not sure about that, but it does look a bit over the top.

In addition to tuning a few small cars to within an inch of their lives, Chevy will also go luxury with a few models, including the Cruze Upscale. The Cruze Upscale is swathed in a color called Burnished Brandy Metallic. It's a deep purple with gray and brown hues and looks extremely lavish. Chevy brass said that there has already been some interest in the color, which currently is not in their palate, though it could be in the future.

The wheels are finished in black with 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza tires. Inside, the brown leather seats are pleated in a diamond pattern while the dash and doors are also covered in brown leather. Chevy would like the Cruze Upscale to be a high-end touring sedan, so they added an adjustable coil-over kit and upgraded brakes along with a custom body kit. It reminds us of the Japanese VIP style of customizing cars with lowered bodies and big rims that was popular in the late '90s and early 2000s.

Lastly in the small-car category, Chevy will be showing its racing roots with the Sonic B-Spec. The B-Spec consists of a Sonic RS with about $3,000 of parts installed, all homologated for B-Spec racing in SCCA, Grand-Am and ALMS. The parts list includes front and rear strut coil-over assemblies and mounts, adjustable front stabilizer-bar links, rear axle shim kit, inlet air restrictor and a recalibrated engine-control module. A roll cage, safety seat, window net and racing harness is to be sourced by the owner. The Sonic B-Spec competition kit will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013 through Chevy Performance dealers.

-- Jake Lingeman