The Chevrolet Spark EV Is, Not Surprisingly, Dead

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

There might be more than a few empty chairs at the Chevrolet Spark EV’s funeral, as the diminutive electric didn’t exactly inflame the passions of the buying public.

The Detroit News reports that production of the electrified model ended this past summer, though General Motors only saw fit to mention it last week. Apparently, the fatal shot was fired by the Chevrolet Bolt, which began production in the fall. Two’s a crowd in the GM EV garage, it seems.

The Spark EV occupied a low rung on the electric car ladder. With 82 miles of range, an updated Nissan Leaf could keep going long after the Spark went dark. So, it’s no wonder that GM doesn’t feel like investing any further funds into a vehicle that can’t come close to the 238 miles of range offered by the equally subcompact Bolt.

When the automaker launched the variant for 2013, the EV’s electric motor provided acceleration and responsiveness that far exceeded anything the stock Spark’s 1.2-liter four-cylinder could muster. It’s a bit odd that GM executives initially claimed that the Bolt wouldn’t erase the Spark EV from the GM stable, but sales speak loudly.

Chevrolet spokesman Fred Ligouri told The Detroit News that the automaker has sold about 7,400 units since the model’s debut. A limited roll-out ensured that many Americans have never laid eyes on one. GM’s sales goal for the Bolt, while never clearly stated, is doubtlessly much, much higher.

In 2016, Chevrolet unloaded 3,035 Spark EVs in the U.S. — about 900 units less than the Volkswagen e-Golf and less than half the number of sales BMW saw for its quirky i3. The tap might not be completely dry yet, as the automaker recorded 17 sales in the month of December.

[Image: General Motors]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Shaker Shaker on Feb 01, 2017

    It may be a 'compliance car', but it probably advanced EV tech and emboldened GM to produce the Bolt. As part of that evolution, the little Spark can be proud (you goofy little anthropomorphic car-toon friend.)

  • Pinzgauer Pinzgauer on Feb 01, 2017

    I dont understand the Spark. The Sonic is around the same price and larger/more useful/all around a better car.

  • Wolfwagen Is it me or have auto shows just turned to meh? To me, there isn't much excitement anymore. it's like we have hit a second malaise era. Every new vehicle is some cookie-cutter CUV. No cutting-edge designs. No talk of any great powertrains, or technological achievements. It's sort of expected with the push to EVs but there is no news on that front either. No new battery tech, no new charging tech. Nothing.
  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
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