GM Will Market Spark EV's Performance More Than Environmental Cred

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

As GM starts rolling out the Chevolet Spark EV, starting in eco-friendly California and Oregon, Automotive News has a look at the marketing challenges the newest electrified car from America’s largest car company. AN raises the issue of GM’s electrification strategy, which is focused on battery electrics, not conventional hybrids, and the sui generis Chevy Volt. While hybrid sales this year are up, EV sales continue to be lukewarm which has resulted in significant price cuts on cars that run on batteries: $4,000 off the price of the Ford Focus Electric, $6,400 off the price of a Nissan Leaf, and GM itself started offering a cash rebate of $4,000 last month on 2013 Chevy Volts.

Analysts consider the Spark EV to be a “compliance car”, built and sold solely to meet California’s environmental laws, which require automakers to make zero emissions vehicles. GM denies that, but the company also said that initial production numbers of the Spark EV, built in Korea, would be modest and the automaker would not cite specific projections, and as mentioned, the Spark EV is currently only available in California and Oregon.

Interestingly, it looks like GM will not be marketing the Spark EV on its environmental credentials, but rather as fun to drive. The electrified Spark can get to 60 in 7.6 seconds and Chevy is even running ads touting the fact that the Spark EV’s 400 lbs/ft of torque is not just the most in its class, it’s more than the Ferrari 458 Italia puts ou.


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  • E46M3_333 E46M3_333 on Jul 22, 2013

    I'd be curious what the range is at a steady 78 MPH.

    • Luke42 Luke42 on Jul 23, 2013

      The range indicator in the Leaf I drive read 52 miles at highway speeds. The reason was twofold: 1) the manual recommends only charging the car to 80% on a daily basis for the life of the battery and 2) a lot more drag. I was cruising at about 73 and not really driving in steady-state conditions, though, and everyone knows that drag increases at the cube of velocity. In other words, I know ,y number is wrong, but I can't tell if its low or high - but its probably sort-of useful anyway. In other words, if you're asking that question, a small EV probably isn't the right tool for whatever you're doing. A B-class gas car, a Prius C, or a regular Prius may be a better fit (Honda pun intended) for your application. On the other hand, I drive 2.5 miles to work down a 45mph road. The big box stores are 10 miles away, which is as far I go on a regular day. And anything longer than that is a prairie crossing road trip that's best done in my minivan. If I use a Leaf as my DD, the van will last forever and I don't have to buy gas to get to work. EVs are still a niche technology, and my patterns are what the niche looks like.

  • Buickman Buickman on Jul 22, 2013

    tumbleweed has performance too when there is wind. this go cart is for teens of the wealthy who give kids what they want rather than what is good. other than that it might work for those needing a wedge for tight parking. the attempts at making this pile of crap appealing is funny to watch.

  • Wmba Wmba on Jul 22, 2013

    For the fluffos who think torque is the factor most influencing acceleratioj, note that the Ferrari 458 Italia passes 100 mph in 7.5 seconds from a standing start. 30 mph takes just 1.4 seconds. You'd have to be a full time mouth breather or a Chevrolet marketing exec to point out that for a split second, the Spark EV and the Ferrari have the same torque, neglecting such trivia as gearbox and axle ratios, but why perturb the masses? McDonalds burgers contain beef, but so do Kobe steaks. There is some difference, I've been led to believe, but a big dollop of ketchup evens it all out for the true marketer.

    • See 5 previous
    • Wumpus Wumpus on Jul 23, 2013

      @Vipul Singh Note that while I expect "area under the curve" will work fine for a Spark, a Volt uses a CVT and can just crank out whatever torque it gets from 150hp (note that the internal CVT motors may limit tire shreading torque at the wheel at low speeds). I'm not terribly familiar with electric motors in general and Tessla's in particular, but I'd be willing to guess that a lot of "area under the curve" is only usesful for burnouts (torque at the tire is way higher than the tire can support. Presumably also true the first 30' of a Spark's drag race, followed by a dissappointing finish).

  • Scoutdude Scoutdude on Jul 23, 2013

    I'm just not understanding why mfgs are selling these compliance cars outside of CA where the ZEV mandate applies. I do understand why they are offering them in WA and OR. One of the Nissan dealers in the Seattle area constantly advertises that they are the number one Leaf dealer in the US and they are all over around here. Interestingly Ford didn't make the Focus EV available in WA initially despite the fact that we have that #1 Leaf dealer and in general they are selling like crazy at least in the greater Seattle area.

    • See 1 previous
    • Luke42 Luke42 on Jul 23, 2013

      Not all of these vehicles are compliance cars at least in CARB terms. Nissan is trying to sell the Leaf in niche-car volumes (at least), though trying to leapfrog Toyota might have something to do with it too. Same with the Volt - it was outselling the Corvette at my local Chevy dealer when I test drove one last fall. The Focus EV and the Fiat 500 EV both show evidence of being compliance cars. I don't know enough about the Spark's sales plans to categorize it. Basically, any car available in my part of the Midwest probably isn't a CARB compliance car, though CAFE could still bne a factor. Tesla is clearly not a compliance car, though they're not above padding their bottom line by selling pollution credits.

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