Stronger than expected demand for the Spark in the United States has prompted Chevrolet to call for increased allocations of the minicar from Korea.
“We’ve asked for more already,” Cristi Landy, marketing director for Chevrolet small cars, told Automotive News. “We’ve gotten a really strong reaction in the marketplace.”
In its first two months on the market, the Spark totaled 6,313 sales. Availability was initially limited to 18 urban markets, although the minicar is now on sale nationwide. Supply levels over the summer were impacted by worker strikes at the Spark factory in Korea.Â
Chevrolet has not released sales projections or numbers regarding the increased importation, but the Spark’s sales thus far have put it on pace to exceed an initial estimate from independent research firm IHS Automotive. Prior to the Spark’s launch, IHS predicted annual sales of 27,000 units for the diminutive Chevy.
The Spark carries a $12,995 base price and comes with a respectable amount of standard content, including A/C, power windows, 15-inch alloy wheels, an auxiliary input jack, Onstar and 10 airbags. A seven-inch color touchscreen and Chevrolet MyLink are included in mid- and upper-trim level models. All Sparks use an 84-horsepower 1.2-liter four-cylinder that returns 32/38 city/highway mpg with the standard five-speed manual and 28/37 mpg with the optional four-speed automatic.
Leftlane recently had the opportunity to sample the Spark – check out our first drive review here.
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