Chevrolet Spark Details

Chevrolet's new supermini, the Spark, will be available to order from December 11 and officially goes on sale in the UK next spring.

All Sparks come with a five-speed manual gearbox and six airbags as standard. The entry-level version, known simply as Spark, is by far the cheapest at £6945, and there's then quite a leap to the Spark +, which has air-conditioning, electric front windows, central locking and a four-speaker USB-compatible audio system.

The LS, which is expected to be the most popular model, gets remote central locking, silver trim detailing, 14" steel wheels (larger than those on the cheaper cars), a chrome-effect grille surround, a sunglasses holder and body-coloured doorhandles, exterior mirrors and rear spoiler. The LS+ costs £500 more and comes with alloy wheels, electric rear windows, a trip computer, heated electric door mirrors, roof bars and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

At the top of the range comes the LT, which is the most expensive at £9845 and has 15" alloy wheels, climate control air-conditioning, interior detailing to match the body colour, a bodykit and a six-speaker stereo.

The LS is unusual in that it's the only one with a choice of two petrol engines - a 67bhp one-litre and a 1.2 developing 80bhp. Cheaper cars are available only with the one-litre engine, while the more expensive ones get the 1.2.

All versions have the same list of optional extras - metallic paint at £365, rear parking sensors at £150 and electronic stability control at £350. The fact that the latter item is not available as standard on any Spark is the only thing that prevented Euro NCAP from giving the car a five-star rating in its latest round of crash tests (see separate story), so it would seem reasonable for any customer who pays the extra money to assume that they are getting a five-star car.