When it goes sale in the UK in January 2010, Chevrolet will pitch its Spark supermini at well below the £7000 mark to undercut its Hyundai i20, Suzuki Swift and Ford Ka rivals. The Matiz replacement will make its global debut at the Geneva motor show in March, and these are the first images of the car’s rear and cabin.
Wasn’t this the result of that on-line voting system?
Correct. Chevrolet unveiled a trio of concepts at 2007’s New York motor show – the Beat (now renamed as the Spark), Groove and Trax – and then asked the public to vote online for the car they wanted to go into production. With its chunky looks it’s no surprise the Beat took top honours after 1.9 million votes had been cast.
Let’s talk engines
It’s powered by choice of 65bhp 1.0-litre or 86bhp 1.2-litre petrol four-pots, borrowed from the new Agila, as well as Vauxhall’s rather fine 1.3-litre turbo diesel in 75bhp and 90bhp trim. They’ll be hooked up to five- and six-speed manual transmissions. There’s also talk of a feisty 150bhp three-door performance model, powered by the 1.6-litre blown unit found in the Corsa Sri
The Spark will be a crucial new car for GM – built on the company’s new ‘world car’ B-class platform and developed in Korea, the Spark will be sold in Europe, America and India among 100 other world markets.