- Common Motors is bringing again the electrical Chevrolet Spark.
- Known as the Chevrolet Spark EUV, the four-door metropolis crossover debuted in Brazil.
- It has a rear-mounted electrical motor and an LFP battery pack.
The ill-fated Chevrolet Spark EV was Common Motors’ first correct battery-powered automotive from this century. Regardless of it being little greater than a compliance automotive and promoting fewer than 8,000 models in america, it was a good city EV.
It was discontinued stateside in 2016 and its successor, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, fared a lot better in each respect. However now that the Bolt is now not being provided (a brand new era is on the best way, although), the Spark EV is making a comeback.
That stated, the story is a bit more difficult than it appears at first look. The automotive you see within the images beneath is certainly known as the Chevrolet Spark EUV, and it’s a small electrical crossover, versus the five-door hatchback of the 2014 mannequin. This could assist GM entice patrons who’re drawn to crossover-shaped automobiles, and that’s an excellent factor if the tip aim is to place as many zero-emissions vehicles on the highway as potential.
However the identify is only a remnant of the previous as a result of the brand new Spark EUV is pretending to be a Chevrolet. That’s as a result of the battery-powered city crossover is only a badge-engineering job. Beneath the shiny bowtie badges, the EV is similar Chinese language-made Baojun Yep Plus, a four-door, rear-wheel drive city crossover constructed by the SAIC-GM-Wuling three way partnership.
It debuted in China final 12 months with a 75-kilowatt (101-horsepower) rear electrical motor and a 41.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery that permits a CLTC-rated vary of 249 miles (401 kilometers).
It’s not accessible with four-wheel drive or underbody safety, and one reviewer in China who drove the two-door model stated that it’s “uncomfortable, cramped, however enjoyable.” That stated, the Baojun Yep Plus has a giant promoting level in its house market, and that’s the value. It begins on the equal of roughly $12,000, which is used automotive cash within the U.S.
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For this sort of money, clients get two 10.25-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system. In China, the Yep Plus comes with a sophisticated driving help system (ADAS) developed by drone maker DJI that features automated parking and a 360-degree digicam system, amongst different issues. The automotive measures 157 inches (3.9 meters) lengthy, 69 in (1.7 m) extensive, and has a 100-in (2.5-m) wheelbase.
It’s an affordable, barebones EV that may carry 4 adults for comparatively brief journeys. As for the Chevrolet Spark EUV, it’s uncertain it is going to ever make it to america–tariffs and all. As an alternative, its first market will probably be Brazil, the place Common Motors unveiled it as a part of Chevrolet’s one centesimal anniversary within the South American nation. The Spark EUV made a shock look on stage, however GM didn’t say a phrase about specs, worth or availability. The one factor we all know is that it will likely be among the many 10 new vehicles launched in Brazil this 12 months, however that’s not saying a lot.
