The biggest distinction for the Spark is its extra set of doors. Our tester came in Jalapeno Green, but there are also a handful of pastel hues including pink, blue and yellow. Resembling something like a scaled-downĬhevy Sonic, the only thing about the Spark that truly grabs your attention is its flamboyant color palette. As American buyers are still warming to these micro machines, though, we don't consider being the segment's wallflower such a bad thing. Maybe it's just the segment in which the Spark competes, but Chevy's minicar doesn't appear to scream for attention with its shape or dimensions as much as its rivals. With its addition to the lineup, Chevy's menu of passenger cars is now bursting with options, but can this pint-sized hatchback ignite any interest with buyers here in the US? We spent a week with one to find out if it could hold our attention – and our stuff. Suzuki, the Spark is a product of GM's South Korean operations. General Motors hasn't marketed a car this small in the US since the Geo/Chevy Metro, and just like the Metro was the product of a collaboration with The Spark – in one name or another – has been on sale in other markets since 2009 and has sold relatively well, but in the name of globalization and diversifying its lineup,Ĭhevrolet brought it to our shores for 2013. Scion iQ, only the Spark and 500 provide realistic interior space, and the baby Bowtie is the sole offering in its class large enough to offer a rear set of doors. Looking at the current class of sub-subcompact cars, which includes the They have to stay lively, because the imports are likely to get much better, too: consider that Mercedes-Benz is about to bring a whole new class of fuel-efficient subcompacts into the American market.Minicars have yet to really catch on in the US, and while the reason for that is probably at least partially because of our addiction to big crossovers and SUVs, we have a feeling that some of the indifference toward these tiny cars is the lack of functional practicality and efficiency that such small vehicles offer – especially relative to vehicles the next size and price rung up. Sales for Chrysler overall are high, thanks in part to its first credible compact in a long while, the 200.Īmerican automakers, tempered by the near-death experience that resulted from an over-dependence on trucks and SUVs, are unlikely to make the same mistake again. The Fiat 500 hasn't been a huge hit, but bringing back the iconic Dart name was a smart move. It will be interesting to see if Chrysler can strike gold with the new Dart, set to get 41 mpg on the highway with a 1.9-liter four, a manual transmission and a special aerodynamic-enhancing eco package. In the first quarter, Toyota sold 60,589 Priuses of all types in the U.S. And the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid has rebounded from a fire scare, with sales of 1,462 in April.īy 2015, Toyota expects to sell 200,000 Priuses a year in the U.S., and 400,000 from the expanded Prius family. The fuel-efficient Fusion and the Focus are Ford's sales leaders. Focus sales in California (the nation's largest car market) are up 135 percent in the first quarter of 2012. In March, 8,251 Sonics were sold.Īmericans are continuing to buy Ford Fiestas and Focuses in great numbers. He'd fit fine in the back seat of the Spark.īuoyed by statistics like this, the Spark mini car could do as well as Chevy's new subcompact, the Sonic, whose sales are 38 percent higher the indifferent compact it replaced, the Aveo. That's a great retort to an over-six-foot friend of mine who told me that his '73 Cadillac was the only car he could fit into. The Spark has the same front and rear legroom as that'73 landmark. Adding vertical space is a great idea, because it makes small cars much better load haulers than they have any right to be. Like the Honda Fit, the Spark is tall - six inches taller than that 1973 sedan. The Spark, the smallest Chevrolet ever to be sold in North America, is half the size of typical full-size cars from 1973 (think Chevrolet Impala, Ford LTD, Cadillac DeVille), the year American car size hit a peak from which it has retreated only gradually. Expect the less-than-2,000-pound car to start at less than $13,000 and get about 45 mpg on the highway. The Spark was designed at GM's studio in Seoul. To say that it looks and feels Korean is quite a compliment, considering how the restyled Kia Optima and Hyundai Elantra are. I saw one of these minis on display at my local Earth Day celebration and admired how well it stacks up against equally diminutive competition. around now, is set to take advantage of that. America is finally getting hip to small cars, and the 2013 Chevrolet Spark, set to go on sale in the U.S.
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