Chevrolet Spark: the thrifty American

The new supermini, the Chevrolet Spark, which will go on sale in 2010 with a snazzy new design and small economical engines, had its premier at the Geneva Motor Show. The most striking visual features of this five-door vehicle are its high roof and almost vertical tailgate. The front end is dominated by long slanting headlights framing the large radiator grille which is adorned with the traditional golden logo. This supermini is 3.64 metres long and has a wheelbase of 2.38 metres. The boot has a 170-litre capacity which can be expanded to 994 litres once the rear seats are folded away.

There is a choice of two petrol engines for the Spark, the 1.0-litre version delivering 66bhp and the 1.2-litre 78bhp. Either of these will return over 56.5mpg and they are both coupled to a manual five-speed gearbox.