Spark attains 1million global sales milestone

Chevrolet has reached a milestone number in supermini sales, surpassing 1 million sales worldwide of the Spark and Beat – fresh evidence of the vehicle line-up attracting more people to the brand around the world. Earlier this year, the automaker sold its 3-millionth Cruze.

The Spark first went on sale as the Beat in India in late 2009. It is available in 71 markets worldwide, selling the most in South Korea, followed by the United States and Mexico. In the US, Spark sales are up 10 percent year to date. In South Africa where it has been on sale since 2010, sales increased by 36 percent from January to September when compared to the same period in 2013 with 6,794 to 4,983 units.

“Our small cars – Spark and Sonic, and the mid-size Cruze attract more new car buyers to Chevrolet than any other vehicles in the line-up, with more than 60 percent of buyers never having owned a Chevy before,” says Alan Batey, executive vice president of Global Chevrolet.

The Spark, along with the rest of the Chevrolet small car lineup, also attracts the youngest buyers to the brand. This year, sales of Chevrolet small cars have increased more than 9 percent for car buyers under age of 35.

This year, the Spark was the only vehicle in the entry-level segment to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick award. Light-weight, high-strength steel constitutes more than 62 percent of Spark’s underbody and 42 percent of upper body. It is also used in the roof bow and B-pillars.