Chevrolet Spark

[unit731]

Some folks do want or need an economical car.

Whether price point or fuel economy.

This is not your fathers Aveo.

 

 

Mike Colias

Automotive News -- October 1, 2012

 

DETROIT -- Texas Chevrolet dealer Rox Covert is in truck country. But you wouldn't know it from the way customers snapped up all 16 Spark minicars he had on his lot since August.

 

Buyers have included seniors, college kids, moms -- and lots of non-General Motors customers. The company says 54 percent of Spark buyers are coming from non-GM brands, which is among the highest conquest rates in Chevy's lineup.

"It's not just young people or folks on a tight budget. It's everybody," says Covert, who owns two Chevy stores near Austin, Texas. Last week, he ordered another 25 Sparks.

 

The brisk Spark sales have surprised both GM executives and dealers, many of whom grumbled when GM decided to import a Korea-built minicar with razor-thin profit margins. The early buzz seems to validate a U.S. market for inexpensive minicars, a segment that most automakers so far have ignored.

 

"The minicar segment in the U.S. is hard to forecast, so we've been conservative in how many we bring out," says Cristi Landy, marketing director for Chevrolet small cars. She says dealers already are asking for more. "So far, it's been a good problem to have."

 

GM has rolled out the Spark in only 18 metropolitan markets, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, where the company also has hosted promotional events. GM sold 4,090 Sparks in July and August, when its total surpassed those of its two chief competitors: the Scion iQ and Smart ForTwo. While the Fiat 500 and Mini Cooper are similar in size, GM doesn't consider them direct competitors because their sticker prices are much higher than the Spark's base price of $12,995, including shipping.

 

IHS Automotive forecasts Spark sales of 27,000 in 2013, the car's first full year on the U.S. market. Based on its sales from the limited rollout so far, GM is on pace to exceed that total.

 

Landy and dealers attribute the demand in part to its appeal to budget-minded buyers amid near-record prices for used cars. Buyers are swayed by a new car with a 100,000-mile powertrain warranty for less than 13 grand, she says.

Spark also offers content and features not found on its rivals, such as four doors and more rear-seat space.

The 1LT trim level, which costs $14,495, including shipping, features Chevy's new MyLink infotainment system with Bluetooth and navigation via a $50 smartphone app that displays maps on the 7-inch touch screen.

"It offers more than people expect at that price point," says Harry Criswell, owner of a Chevy store in Gaithersburg, Md.

One thing it does not offer is much dealer profit. Some say the few hundred dollars is barely enough to pay the sales commission. But they concede that the car's edgy hatchback styling and distinctive colors -- such as "jalapeno" and "techno pink" -- are generating showroom traffic from people who might never have come into their stores otherwise.

And about 30 percent of buyers are 35 or younger, GM says, and thus could become long-term customers.

 

Landy says demand has been strong despite a shoestring marketing budget. She declines to give a figure but says it is "way less than half" the amount that GM spent last year to launch the mostly digital campaign for the Chevy Sonic subcompact, which also has been a hit.

 

All of Chevy's 3,000 dealers have been able to order Sparks, Landy says. She expects the car to be rolled out nationally by year end.

[cobrajet84]

Good news for a brand that usually gets no respect when it comes to small cars. Not sure if you or the author of the article called it "not your fathers aveo." the spark is actually a class smaller than the aveo and the sonic is the new replacement for the aveo.

[sonjaab]

Both STILL a junk daewoo copy/clone with a new name.....................

[SarahsGMC]

chevrolet spark is shit. i drove one for three days, the 1.2 liter is gutless, the touchscreen radio thing they have in it froze on me 5 times in 2 days i couldnt do anything unless i waited for it to finally unfreeze or shut the car off. Not only does the radio freeze up but the sound system they have in it is absolute garbage. if i wanted the audio quality of a cheap cell phone id play the music on my phone speaker than deal with the sound that thing had. the seats are incredibly uncomfortable and its way way to small and im only 5'7"! you cant work on it for shit everything is hidden under the hood, they eat gas for those that take country roads and highways alot you should avoid this car. or you'll be dumping 20 bucks into it every couple days. its a disposable car and imo a waste of money and resources.. unless you only drive about 5-10 miles a day, you wont want this car.

[MikeNH]

What do you expect from a ultra compact car in terms of space/power? Don't get me wrong I'd never buy any car that size, it would never work for me but in that class it's about as good as you can get. But I'm with you on touchscreen interfaces. I took a big gamble with the OGM1 and thankfully I've been extremely happy with it but every other touchscreen interface I have used in the car was infuriating.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SarahsGMC]

i dont think ill ever go big on audio and stereos in my cars if i were to order one. id go aftermarket any day because thats what the makers focus on, when you buy a vehicle they arent focusing primarily on the audio so you're going to get whatever crap they decide to come up with.

[NitroCherokee]

i dont think ill ever go big on audio and stereos in my cars if i were to order one. id go aftermarket any day because thats what the makers focus on, when you buy a vehicle they arent focusing primarily on the audio so you're going to get whatever crap they decide to come up with.

 

 

If the Spark you were driving had the MyLink radio it is made by Panasonic. I happen to work for GM in the infotainment field and have not had really any problems with the MyLink radio in these vehicles, and EVERY replacement radio comes accross my desk. I am curious as to what function you were using when the radio locked up

[SarahsGMC]

It was my link and I was just listening to a radio station, I'd go to change the audio settings you know bass treble etc and it would freeze, or if I turn it up it would.. I turned a song I liked up and I went to turn it down when commercials came on and it froze.. I had to listen to blaring loud commercials for like 10 mins before it finally unfroze.

 

Sent from my truck using TAPATALK

[truckofwinandawesome]

Both STILL a junk daewoo copy/clone with a new name.....................

 

 

That's Strange, I Could have SWORN that the US Spec Sonic was built in Orion, Michigan...

 

i dont think ill ever go big on audio and stereos in my cars if i were to order one. id go aftermarket any day because thats what the makers focus on, when you buy a vehicle they arent focusing primarily on the audio so you're going to get whatever crap they decide to come up with.

 

 

If the Spark you were driving had the MyLink radio it is made by Panasonic. I happen to work for GM in the infotainment field and have not had really any problems with the MyLink radio in these vehicles, and EVERY replacement radio comes accross my desk. I am curious as to what function you were using when the radio locked up

 

 

you DO realize you will probably be the Go-to-Guy for Infotainment System Issues from now on...

[MikeNH]

The Sonic is made here in MI, the spark is not. And calling it junk is stupid- these aren't the same throwaway cars Daewoo imported in the late 90s.

[truckofwinandawesome]

The Sonic is made here in MI, the spark is not. And calling it junk is stupid- these aren't the same throwaway cars Daewoo imported in the late 90s.

 

 

and the 07-11 Aveos aren't as bad as they are made out to be. how do I know this? because there's one sharing the Driveway with the Win and Awesome.

[bluArrow]

Let's see what a certain "Consumer" magazine has to say about the Chevy Spark (otherwise known as the Daewoo Matiz). It scored 34 out of 100. Interior looks and feels cheap. Front seats are lumpy. Seats are narrow enough your shoulders and hips hang over the cushions. Motor is a 1.2L four cylinder making 82HP (!) that jerks while hunting between gears. The suspension delivers stiff rubbery kicks into the cabin, especially from the rear. I think you get the point.

All this for a as tested price of $15,420.

The Chevrolet Sonic looks to be the FAR better buy for slightly more money and gets comparable fuel economy.