- Normal Motors is bringing again the electrical Chevrolet Spark.
- Referred to 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 Normal 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 the US, it was an honest 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 supplied (a brand new technology is on the way in which, 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 consumers who’re drawn to crossover-shaped autos, and that’s a very good factor if the top purpose is to place as many zero-emissions automobiles on the street as attainable.
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. Underneath 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 yr with a 75-kilowatt (101-horsepower) rear electrical motor and a 41.9-kilowatt-hour lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery that allows 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 an enormous promoting level in its residence 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 type of money, prospects 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) large, and has a 100-in (2.5-m) wheelbase.
It’s an inexpensive, barebones EV that may carry 4 adults for comparatively brief journeys. As for the Chevrolet Spark EUV, it’s uncertain it can ever make it to the US–tariffs and all. As an alternative, its first market might be Brazil, the place Normal Motors unveiled it as a part of Chevrolet’s a 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, value or availability. The one factor we all know is that it is going to be among the many 10 new automobiles launched in Brazil this yr, however that’s not saying a lot.
