General Motors, the world’s biggest carmaker who rolled out its small car Chevrolet Spark in India as it takes on market leader Maruti Suzuki. The company has set the price of Spark at Rs 3.09 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) for the base model, slightly lower than Rs 3.21 lakh for Maruti’s Zen Estillo base model. Chevrolet Spark would be available in four options with the price increasing to Rs 3.89 lakh. The company, which has so far sold two million units of the small car globally, will initially roll out Spark from its manufacturing facility in Gujarat.
Spark would be available in two versions of petrol engine: 795cc and 995cc. The 795cc, 6valve engine would compete with Maruti 800. It will deliver a power of 8KW and torque of 68.6 Nm@4600 rpm. The three-cylinder design provides a very flat torque curve, which results in a less peak power delivery. The 795cc engine claims to give a mileage of 19.2kpl with a top speed of 142 km/hr.
Chevrolet Spark has a mono frame design, which maximizes the wheelbase, and in turn improves cabin space. The body is made of high strength steel, which makes the car lighter and gives the required stability on road while driving. Spark has a completely new torsion beam rear axle, which is coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms.
Spark has 1L engine which outputs 63bhp of power and 90Nm of torque. With these figures, enthusiast will definitely feed well but people anxious about the fuel economy might disappoint. Unlike Matiz which comfortably gave over 15 kmpl in city, Chevrolet Spark will give approx 13kmpl in similar driving conditions. People who have ever driven Matiz know that in spite of having a very small engine, Matiz never gave a slothful feeling. The engine always did the needful as far as city-driving is concerned. With 1L engine, Spark is more thrilling in city and much better at highways.
Exterior is not changed much. Though fascia, tail-design is quite different from Matiz, the overall shape & size of Chevrolet Spark gives a familiar look. Exterior & Interior dimensions are almost equal to the old Matiz. Car is available in five colors; Icy Blue, Mint Green, Fiery Red, Casablanca White and Platinum Metallic. To me, Mint Green looked too funky but Icy Blue and Platinum Metallic were soothing. Paint work quality could have been much better.
Spark Engine:
Spark has two versions of petrol engine-0.8L and 1L. There is speculation about launch of diesel engine, but at least in the short term first the diesel will be introduced in Chevrolet AVEO U-VA to match diesel swift. The 795cc, 6valve-Smaller engine to take on Maruti 800 will pump out 38KW and torque of 68.6 Nm@4600 rpm. The three-cylinder design is said to provide a very flat torque curve, which means a much less peaky power delivery than would be expected from an engine of this size, and ensures that the Spark exceeds most performance expectations. The three-cylinder unit claims to give a mileage of 19.2kpl with a top speed of 142 km/hr.
Spark Exteriors:
The large round head lamps brings back the memory of old Daewoo Matiz. The Chevrolet spark is a classic example of the Mono form design, as is the Zen Estilo and Honda Civic. The Mono form design reduces the front and rear extension which means the easy parking in metros and it also maximizes the wheel base, which in turn improves cabin space. Thanks to the selection of materials, generous use of high strength steel not only gives you the required stability but it also makes the car weigh less. It weighs about 795 kg against 875kg Zen Estilo.
To improve the handling of the Spark, a completely new torsion beam rear axle was used, coupled to angled shock absorbers and semi trailing arms. This will provide you much greater accuracy wheel control than the rambling axle used in Zen Estilo. The Gas pressure shock absorbers together with softer mounting rubbers in the suspension links will improve the ride comfort. Chevrolet claims that spark gives you greater visibility from the high driving position with low waist line and slim pillars for tight reversing occasions.
Spark Interiors:
The Spark interior is divided into two main sections. In the driver’s direct line of view, there is a semi-circular set of displays incorporating the control and warning lights. Then, in the center of the dashboard and slightly raised, is the instrument panel with classic-style analogue displays, easily visible to all Spark occupants. They provide information on rpm, speed and fuel level. The odometer reading and time are displayed in digital form which means they are easy to pick out at a glance and the clever ergonomics mean you don’t have to peer through the steering wheel and take your eyes off the road. More cars should have this set-up.
For average sized people the Spark’s interior will pose no problems in the legroom department and headroom will fit for most sizes too. The seats are supportive and good for distance work. The rear seat’s backrest can be divided in the ratio 60:40 against the not folding type offered by Zen Estilo, enabling longer objects to be transported without problem. If the complete bench is flipped up, the capacity rises to an impressive 845 liters whereas the luggage space is 170litres.
Spark Safety and special features:
Spark Anti Lock Braking System and driver-passenger airbags may not be offered in 0.8L spark and may be offered in 1Lspark as an optional one. Specifically distinct load paths with an energy absorbing hexagonal profile protect the passengers in the event of a head-on or rear collision. Optimized links between the B-pillar and the sills provide additional protection in the event of a side impact.
The range of safety equipment is completed by an energy-absorbing steering column, knee padding and a plastic fuel tank with a safety valve that immediately halts the fuel supply if the car turns over, thereby virtually eliminating any fire risk. Certainly it may not be the safest car but 0.8L spark will certainly score over the Maruti 800 when comes to safety. Air conditioning, power windows, power steering, remote fuel lid opener and remote tail gate opener will be offered as standard in 1L spark.
Technical Specification
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Standard Features
Standard Colors
Detailed Features
Comfort
Exterior
Interior
Safety
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i think this car will find the going tough with more smaller cars in the class to come. This will cause Chevrolet to rethink on the strategy. They should have gone on a national launch than rolling one which will cause more heart burn among the users. There is a waiting period which will further compound the problem along with poor service records at Chevrolet.
Hope every one gets the worth for their money in this crowded market with optional becoming essential.
Comment by nair — May 29, 2007 @ 11:23 am
GM’s SPARK’s interior design and display console for asian market is old or 25yrs old technology…,(eg: Dashboard console centric,steering position,gear box,accelerator,clutch and brake pad els are outdated),and speedometer location on dashboard is similar to those vehicles which were produced in 1970’s in America.
Comment by Ivon Stefan — June 12, 2007 @ 7:38 am
i think price is on the higher side if they reduce price market will be bright
Comment by kannan — June 21, 2007 @ 2:25 am
There’s not much to choose between the Spark and the Santo, but I like thebig car feel that my new Spark gives me, specially the sound of the exhaust when the engine is revved. The suspension makes it more stable than the Santro. However, I miss the comfort of my “Tall Boy”.
Comment by Vikram Das — June 22, 2007 @ 10:25 pm
Hi Vikram,
1) How’s the AC working ?
We’re about to book the Spark, but worried if Iam paying too high a premium, as compared to Santro. I felt the SPARK is over-priced for when compared to the Santro with almost-similar feature-list.
2) Does the center-console disturb the line of driving vision ?
3) Can you compare the rear seats vis-a-vis the SANTRO ?
I’ve to evaluate between the 4.2 lac fully loaded SANTRO XO, and the 4.57 lac SPARK LT.
Your comments please …
Thanks for yr help.
Regards,
Prasad.
Comment by Prasad — July 4, 2007 @ 9:22 am
Prasad Ji,
Thanks for the response.
1. The AC is adequate, though cooling is a bit slow.
2. Yes, the Spark is a bit overpriced, but the #year/100,000 km warranty beats the Santro. Also, Hyndai service in my city is terrible. That was my reason for the change-over.
3. I dont find the centre console disturbing at all ; in fact, I like it !
4 The suspension at the rear is infinitely better than the Santro’s.
(My Santro would give rear-seat passengers an awful time.)
5. All in all, I recommend the Spark. It certainly has better looks than the Santro. But the competition is close.
Cheers !
Vikram
Comment by Vikram Das — July 9, 2007 @ 8:23 am
i wish the price of ps,pw,ac model little around Rs.3.75 lacs.Feedback from users tell there is adisturbing noise from the rear .
Comment by eppnair — September 5, 2007 @ 11:20 pm
Dear All,
I own a 800 cc Matiz which has done 1.2 lacs and going fine. Can anyone let me know if any of the parts of Chevy Spark will fit the old matiz? Also if you could let me know if the Shock-Obs of the spark will work in the old matiz??
Thanks n Regards,
Prasanna.
Comment by Prasanna — September 6, 2007 @ 4:38 am
I am planning to buy my first car. Which car i can go ?
Suggestions Plz
Comment by Hema — September 18, 2007 @ 9:05 pm
I want to buy a new car. Thinking of going with Spark. Can anyone tell me if Spark is a good car or not. This being a new car and has not yet proved in market, i doubt if i should go with Spark
Comment by Deepesh — October 1, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
I own a Spark car.Within one month of buying the car there is a smell of rotten eggs coming from the exhaust.The dealer says there is nothing to worry.I am not happy with their explanation.I owned a Matiz in the past.It was a trouble free car & I sold it after 7 years of happy driving.
Comment by C.Ramanan — October 11, 2007 @ 5:16 pm
I want to purchase my first small car. I have to travel nearly 1500km
per month which suits me patrol or diesel. sugguestions required pls
Comment by k. kumar — October 15, 2007 @ 9:36 pm
I am planning to buy my first car. Which car i can go ?
Suggestions Plz…….. Is Chevy Spart is Better than all small cars ?
Comment by Satya Kalyanam — October 17, 2007 @ 11:09 pm
Today only I purchased a new Spark from Triump, Wazirpur Industrial Area, Delhi, dated October 21, 2007. Delivery of the car was made about 5:30 in the evening. The bill no. is ______. When i went to the Petrol Pump to get petrol tank filled of this new Spark , the person at the petrom pump told me that the tank of this new car is leaking. I was really surprised as the petrol pump was hardly 5 Km from the Showroom. Then i talked to the person over there in showroom and he asked me to come back the next day to get the matter solved but I am very surprised with this thing as General Motors is a very big company and how they can deliver such a faulted car. If a person is spending so much money to purchase their product, how can these people make such a mistake. Is there no value for the money that is being spend by the customers to purchase their product. I got filled my car with petrol of 1500 Rs and half of the petrol got wasted due to leakage, who is responsible for that amount. These type of the mistakes should be checked before sending the product to the showroom or delivery made to the customer. I request to please look into this matter and get this thing resolved as early as possible and hope that people over there in the showroom will take care of this thing.
Comment by Ravi Grover — October 21, 2007 @ 7:17 am
Hi,
i am planning to buy my first car between zen estilo and spark , which will be better choice.
Comment by gaurav — October 22, 2007 @ 1:57 am
Dear All,
I have closed my serach on Spark & U-va. Kindly help in making my mind for one final.
Sincere thanks for your time.
Warm Regards
PKM
Comment by Pankaj — October 24, 2007 @ 9:33 pm
NOT THAT MUCH SPACIOUS AND PRICE IS ALSO ON THE HIGHER SIDE, NOT GOOD RESPONSE FROM THE G.M WORKING STAFF PEOPLE
Comment by kannan padmanabhan — October 25, 2007 @ 8:03 am
I booked the Spark car, how it will be like performance wise and comfortness?
Comment by Rama Krishna Reddy — October 31, 2007 @ 12:55 am
i think spark is the best choice between santro and chevy spark
bcoz it gives lot of comfort while driving ,in spark you cannot imagine engine is start or off,
Comment by Sudhanshu — November 2, 2007 @ 3:51 am
we should now look at i10 of hundai before making up our mind. the i10 has better shape than santro and comparable with spark. it is a bigger car than spark. power steering works without hydraulic pump. works on the engine inlet vaccuum like the assisted brakes. i test drove the i10. excellent. hundai claim 12 km/litre in city. this is to be tested.
Comment by THYAGARAJAN — November 11, 2007 @ 11:41 am
I bought spark on 16th november and drove 100 km.I have also driven zen estillo, santro,indica xeta and alto. I can say that by all standards spark is a remarkable car with fantastic ride quality and is a joy in highways.I feel that spark is miles a ahead of zen estillo and indica xeta.I can not compare with santro or wagon R because of limited knoledge of these two cars.
Comment by sudarsan — December 1, 2007 @ 11:07 am
hey GM will u look all gm’s service and dealer in india, there is lot complaints about this..what hell r u doing? customer are worried and they r slowly moving away….hey GM get into actions asap….rectified these any problems.
all car of GM is superb…..but service and dealing is somewhat make us less confidential among the people….restore public faith and confdtl.
but, i want to say one thing is ….our dealing with service, interactions with dealer was good.
Comment by prashantha — December 14, 2007 @ 2:56 am
Excellent small car from GM motors, which gives the Driving pleasure & also its interior’s are excellent.
Comment by Neelanshu — January 24, 2008 @ 11:48 am
I own the Spark from the last 5 months. Overall experience has been good. Great car, pleasure to drive, good mileage. The only painpoint is the dealership issues here in Bangalore. The only way GM can loose on this car is through the dealers.
Comment by shetty — February 27, 2008 @ 12:56 pm