Chevy Spark

Chevy Spark

The latest 2010 vehicle to leak out of the impending Detroit Auto Show is the Chevy Spark, the production version of the Chevy Beat concept car. The Chevy Spark, a sub-compact hybrid meant to compete with tiny Euro-cars like the Smart Car and the Toyota Yaris, will be able to go 40 miles on electricity alone. 

According to GM’s Global Product Development VP Bob Lutz, “Electricity is one of our best opportunities to displace gasoline and reduce our dependence on petroleum.” GM got a lot of bad publicity with the release of the now widely-viewed 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car, which chronicled GM’s creation and subsequent destruction of the totally electric EV1 in the 1990s—a move seen by some as an attempt to undercut California emissions standards. The 2010 Chevy Spark, if it actually makes it into production this year, could be Gm’s chance to redeem itself.