GM might be facing bankruptcy but at least it’s good to see the company is moving in the right direction – small cars. Chevrolet has just unveiled their new mini-car, the Spark.
Powered by a tiny 1.0 or 1.2 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine, Chevy says it will consume less than 5 litres per 100 km and emit less than 120g/km of CO2 emission.
The 1.0-litre puts out 49 kW and the 1.2 manages just 58 kW. Both engines are coupled to to a five-speed manual gearbox. Chevrolet says the 1.2-litre engine will propel the Spark from zero to 100 km/h acceleration in a, and we like to use their own words here, brisk 12.4 seconds!
The spark will make do with McPherson strut front suspension and torsion beams at the rear.
Standard safety equipment include driver, front passenger, side and curtain airbags. However Electronic Stability Control (ESC) will only be available as an option. We suspect with all the airbags the Spark will do rather well in the EuroNCAP crash test rating.
The Spark will be available with either 13, 14 or 15-inch wheels. Chevrolet says the car was designed to stand purposeful and poised – essentially a city car with ‘attitude’.
Although it looks rather small, the Spark is based on a 2,375 mm wheelbase with a 3,640 mm long body. Chevrolet has designed the car with minimal rear overhang to help with inner-city parking. Even so the Spark has at least 170-litre trunk volume, which, when needed, can grow to 994 liters by lowering the 60/40 split-fold rear seat-back.
Pricing details are sparse but we know it will begin production in October, with the first cars on European roads in early 2010. Other markets (no word yet regarding Australia) will begin in 2011.
