Until now, to the question of what models still inhabit the shrinking subcompact cars segment, the answer could still include the Chevrolet Spark.
That won’t be the case for much longer, however. A General Motors spokesperson confirmed to Car and Driver that production of the model will cease this summer.
So if you were considering buying the affordable small car, you'll have to act fast. Chevy will continue assembling Sparks until August, but then that will be it, and it will become a question of dealers selling off their remaining stocks, if they have any.
Of course, considering the continued migration of consumers to SUVs and crossovers, Chevrolet is not planning a direct replacement for the Spark.
There’s a certain amount of irony in the model’s demise, because in fact, the Spark was once produced as an all-electric model (in limited quantities in the U.S., back in 2013). That might have been interesting for the future.
For now, the Spark remains the most affordable product in the family, obviously. On Chevrolet's Canadian website, the base LS manual transmission is listed at $10,398.
It's hard to beat that, especially when you consider that the average selling price of a new vehicle in Canada has topped $40,000.
If you're ever interested in a model, consider a cash purchase or one with a good down payment, however, as interest rates are high as of today. We're talking 5.49 percent for financing and 7.99 percent for any lease.
The Spark was first developed by South Korean carmaker Daewoo (later bought by GM), and it was introduced in 1998 as the Daewoo Matiz. It first appeared as a Chevy and with the Spark name in North America in 2009, and was based on the Chevrolet Beat concept car first shown in 2007.