Chevrolet announce Spark spec

American carmaker Chevrolet has announced specification levels of its vibrant small car the Spark, the car will hit the streets in Spring 2010.

At launch the car will be available with a choice of two petrol powerplants – a 1.0-litre unit which develops 68PS and a more powerful 81PS 1.2-litre engine.

The base model, simply titled Chevrolet Spark 1.0, still comes with six airbags as standard, and in recent Euro NCAP results scored a very impressive 5 star for child protection. Expect a five-speed manual gearbox.

If you’re after a few more mod cons then the Spark + trim level might be the one for you – this builds on the base model by including air conditioning, electric front windows, central locking, and a USB compatible four-speaker stereo.

The top of the range 1.0-litre engine, and base 1.2-litre engine trim is the ‘LS’ – which is expected to be the most popular trim level (thanks no doubt to it being available in both engine choices). On top of the + specification, you can expect remote central locking, trim detailing, 14-inch wheels, front fog lamps, and colour matched door handles, mirrors, and spoiler.

The larger engine is also available with a LS+ trim, which adds alloy wheels, rear electric windows, trip computer, and steering wheel audio controls.

Top of the tree comes the LT model, which is only available with the 1.2-litre engine, expect 15″ alloys, climate control, improved stereo, body kit, and a bit more polish in the cabin.

Options across the range include metallic paint, rear parking sensors and electronic stability control.

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.