The new Chevy Spark is more than just a small car. In fact it's beyond small, measuring some 15in shorter than a Honda Fit, or Ford's new small car hope for America, the Fiesta. Too small for America? GM doesn't think so. Assuming GM makes it through this year, you will see the Spark in your local Chevy dealer sometime in 2011.
The Spark was designed and engineered in Korea by GM-DAT, the subsidiary formed by GM's acquisition of Daewoo, and is built on elements of the Daewoo Matiz minicar platform. Originally intended for the Asian minicar market, the Spark was switched to a global program little more than 18 months ago, and will be built in Korea, India, Uzbekistan and Colombia. It is powered by DOHC 1.0 and 1.2-liter four cylinder engines that drive the front wheels through either a five speed manual or four speed automatic transmission. U.S. spec cars will all be 1.2 liter models.
Only one bodystyle, the four door hatchback, will be available. The bold grille and heavily sculpted bodyside make the Spark look bigger than it is, though no-one would call it cute. Inside, the Spark features body-colored trim elements, and the instrument pod straight from the Beat concept. Standard equipment on U.S. spec models will include power windows, and an MP3 compatible sound system. Base price will start under $12,000.
Bottom Line: Yes, but does America really want a Chevy microcar?
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