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How Chevrolet’s Spark Will Save You Money

Slowly but surely, sales of GM’s A-car have begun to pick up. The car was originally meant for the Gen-Y (really young) buyers, but the demographic isn’t what they’d expected. But no matter, this is is a real car, unlike its rivals, which are a bit gimmicky.
2013 Chevrolet Spark 1 photo
Photo: Chevrolet
In the four months it’s been on the market, GM has sold about 8500 of them, and the Spark’s advantages are sure to attract a lot more people going forward.

Usually, press releases about the car are a little dry, but we thought the latest details are rather interesting from the engineering point of view.

The Spark is not only small, but it’s also cheap. At $12,995 about $3,100 less than its comparable rival, the Scion iQ. But it’s also cheaper to run.

Chevrolet engineers designed the Spark’s engine timing chain to require no scheduled maintenance (unlike timing belts), and electronic power steering and transmission fluid to last the life of the vehicle.

The Spark’s... spark plugs will last 100,000 miles, which is 36,000 miles more than the Fiat 500 and 70,000 more than the Smart fortwo. It’s not rocket science, but it all adds up!

“The Spark will appeal to young urban buyers who are always on the go,” said Jim Federico, executive chief engineer, General Motors Small Cars. “The Spark is perfect for these urban lifestyles because it is not only easy and fun to drive but also easy to own.”
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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