Tag: spark

Report: Next Chevy Spark coming in 2015, Sonic delayed

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet

As the best-selling Chevrolet product in Europe and a surprising new hit here in the US, the Spark is proving to be quite an important global vehicle for General Motors. Even though the Spark just went on sale in the US last year, it has been on sale globally since 2009, and Automotive News Europe is reporting that the next-generation Spark is expected to debut during the first half of 2015. There is no information about the new Spark except for reports that it will continue to be built in South Korea.

This report also says that the redesign of the Sonic/Aveo has been delayed until after 2015. Again, there was no information as to the cause of the delay, but this means the third-gen Sonic and Aveo will likely debut sometime in 2016 – five years after the debut of the current model. This follows the recent report saying that the redesign of the Cruze has been delayed by almost a year, until the end of 2015, due to engineering changes.

Next Chevy Spark coming in 2015, Sonic delayed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Jul 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video]

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet, First Drives, Electric

Side Effects May Include Grinning and Tire Chirping

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV

For anyone who has yet to experience the joys of indoor go-karting, you’re missing out. Electric karts race around the inside of former big-box retail establishments, warehouses and the like delivering more excitement than you typically get from those rickety old concession karts powered by lawnmower engines. Since we can’t afford anything wearing a Tesla badge, these usually come to mind when someone mentions an electric vehicle that’s fun. After driving the 2014 Chevrolet Spark, though, our mental association might just be out of date.

Thanks to their instant torque, an EV being a hoot to drive shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, but Chevy’s all-new Spark EV is making its bid to rise to the top of this growing class, a field that includes the Fiat 500e, Mitsubishi i-Miev, Nissan Leaf, Scion iQ EV and Smart Fortwo ED, and it’s doing so with more torque, better efficiency and a lower price. With a name like “Spark,” it would be easy to assume that this small car was conceived with an EV model in mind from the beginning, but that’s not the case.

Even entering its third generation in 2009 (the first two weren’t sold in North America), General Motors admitted that the Spark was not designed with an EV drivetrain in mind. Just four years later, though, the Spark EV is hitting America’s roads – in California and Oregon – so we headed to scenic Portland, OR to check out Chevy’s new battery electric vehicle (BEV) and the first EV for General Motors since the controversial EV1.

Continue reading 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video]

2014 Chevrolet Spark EV [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Filed under: Budget, Technology, Videos, Hatchback, Chevrolet, Specialty, Electric

2014 Chevy Spark EV - front three-quarter view

Chevrolet’s new commercial for the 2014 Spark EV emphasizes the little hatchback’s performance over pretty much everything else, and it even goes as far as to compare it to a Ferrari 458 Italia. That’s right, the electric bubble is pitched in the commercial as having a higher torque figure than the Ferrari – and it does, with a massive 400 pound-feet ready to be unleashed.

That doesn’t translate into a quicker car, however, as the 458’s V8 with 570 horsepower and not-exactly-quaint 398 lb-ft gives it a 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds compared to the Spark EV’s 7.6-second run.

“We think the fun-to-drive element is an area for us to differentiate ourselves,” Sam Basile, executive chief engineer for GM’s global minicars and emerging-market vehicles, told Automotive News.

EV makers who aren’t Tesla might want to take note of the Chevrolet ad, because, as the novelty of clean electric propulsion wears off, the Spark EV has planted something else in our minds: quick electric propulsion for the masses. That is, if its sales weren’t limited to California and Oregon.

Watch Chevy’s refreshing commercial below.

Continue reading Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia

Chevy ad compares Spark EV with Ferrari 458 Italia originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Jul 2013 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Chevy Spark tops sales projections in first 12 months

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hatchback, Chevrolet

2013 Chevy Spark - front three-quarter view, green paint

For a company that profits heavily from fullsize trucks and SUVs, Chevrolet has a surprisingly big hit on its hands with its smallest offering, the Spark. Automotive News is reporting that in its first 12 months in the US, the microcar has amassed 26,869 sales, which is 35 percent higher than the automaker originally estimated for the hatchback. The Spark has been on sale in other global markets since 2009, and Chevy has sold more than 720,000 units worldwide since its introduction.

Through May, the Korean-built Spark has sold a little more than 14,000 units putting it closer to the success of the Fiat 500 (17,562) rather than the low numbers from the Smart Fortwo (3,678) and Scion iQ (1,919). More importantly, its transaction price is the lowest in its segment (and presumably, the industry) with cars going for $14,563 on average, helping to bring new, younger customers to the Chevy brand. As for its sophomore year here in the US, there are a couple notable changes in store. First, the all-electric Spark EV will be joining the lineup, while Techno Pink paint will be dropped in favor of a new purple hue called Grape Ice.

Chevy Spark tops sales projections in first 12 months originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jun 2013 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Laser spark plugs: bright idea or flash in the pan?

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Technology

The internal combustion engine for automotive use is highly engineered and run by advanced electro-mechanical systems that have been refined over a century of development. That fact hasn’t stood in the way of breathless reports about laser spark plugs being the next big thing. Fast Company goes as far as to disparage the gasoline engine as antiquated and filthy while calling exotic and expensive laser ignitors “the gas engine’s last gasp before the electric revolution comes.”

Laser spark plugs do sound pretty neat. In Japan, researchers at the National Institute of Natural Sciences have cooked up an exceptionally compact laser that’s robust enough for automotive use. With lots of strong ceramics and two different yttrium-based laser elements, one doped with neodymium and the other chromium, the lasers are capable of being pulsed more quickly and more accurately than current spark plug technology allows. Another benefit of lasers in the combustion chamber is the ability to ignite the air/fuel mixture with more power than a spark plug can reliably dissipate.

Modern engine management systems and direct fuel injection are capable of exceptional efficiency and more complete combustion than ever before, and gasoline contains a lot more energy per pound than any current automotive battery technology. While spark plugs might seem antiquated, they’re far cheaper than fitting lasers for ignition, and the ignition systems attached to those plugs continue to get more and more sophisticated.

None of this research work has been applied to an actual engine yet, making any claims of superiority mere academia at this point. The NINS work will be presented at the 2011 Conference on Lasers and Electro Optics that’s happening in early May. While there’s great potential for small lasers that can stand up to harsh environments, and the developers are working with suppliers and automakers, it’s not likely that your engine will be lit off by an Nd/Cr:YAG any time soon, despite what the car-haters who skim over engineering facts might have to say.

[Source: Fast Company]

Laser spark plugs: bright idea or flash in the pan? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody

Filed under: Aftermarket, Budget, Europe, Hatchback, Chevrolet, UK, Design/Style

Chevrolet Spark Woody art car – Click above for high-res image gallery

At some point in history, the notion of having a wood-lined automobile went from the pinnacle of awesome to the depths of loathsome. We’re guessing that demarcation falls at about the same point in time when automakers stopped using real wood and started gluing vinyl recreations to the sides of vehicles that were an affront to cool to begin with. If you need proof, please direct your attention to any number of woody Chrysler PT Cruiser models or, if you’re of stouter stomach, the self-proclaimed Chevrolet Spark Woody Wagon art car pictured above.

Chevrolet UK decided to wrap one of the company’s diminutive people movers in wood-grained Di-Nocto harken back to the company’s American, youthful roots – or at least that’s what the press release says. If that’s not enough to send your head spinning, take a good close look at those tires. Yup, they’re wide whitewalls.

The company has rolled out a few different one-off art Sparks so far, and plans to keep it up with a new British Touring Car Championship inspired version set for an unveil later this month. We’re guessing that one will strike our fancy a bit more than the trans-generational pastiche above. Hit the jump for the press release and make sure to check out the large high-res gallery below – but perhaps you’ll want to pop a few Tums first.

Gallery: Chevrolet Europe Spark Woody Art Car

[Source: Chevrolet UK]

Continue reading How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody

How the British Pay Homage to 50’s America: Chevrolet Spark woody originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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