2010 Daewoo Matiz aka the New Chevy Spark Scooped in Korea

What we will get to know as the new Chevrolet Spark in North America and Europe will be sold in South Korea and perhaps other Asian markets as the Daewoo Matiz. Spotted by the crew over at Noticias Automotivas somewhere in Korea without any sort of camouflage whatsoever, the 2010MY Matiz is a carbon-copy of its Spark sibling minus the Chevy grille, side skirts and large alloy wheels which seem to make a big difference in the city car's appearance.

Same goes for the interior which is identical to the Spark, although the Korean market version of the car does get its own unique trim options.

The 2010 Daewoo Matiz will most likely be offered in Korea with a similar engine lineup to the European Chevy Spark that is powered by a choice of 1.0 and 1.2-litre gasoline engines developing 66 and 78HP respectively. European sales of the new Chevy Spark will start towards the end of the year while North American customers will have to wait until the end of 2010 - beginning of 2011.

[Via: Noticias Automotivas]

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New Chevrolet Spark: 24 High-Res Photos and Details

General Motors chose this year's Geneva Motor Show to unveil the all-new Chevrolet Spark supermini that will go on sale in Europe later this year followed by the USA, India and other core international markets. Derived from the Beat concept car, the most popular of a trio of Chevy mini concepts that toured international motor shows in 2007, the five-door Spark is powered by a choice of 1.0 and 1.2-litre petrol engines developing 66 and 78HP respectively.

Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and are expected to offer a combined cycle fuel economy of below 5.0L/100 km (over 47mpg US), together with CO2 emissions of less than 120 gr/km. Chevrolet said that the 1.2-liter engine is expected to deliver zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in 12.4 seconds.

Packing a 2,375 mm wheelbase into its 3,640mm long body, the Spark offers 170-liter trunk volume, which can be increased to 994 liters by lowering the 60/40 split-fold rear seat-back

[Source: Carscoop]

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GM to Build New Small Car at Idle U.S. Plant and Not China

Faced with heavy criticism after it was revealed that it was planning to increase vehicle imports from lower-wage economies such as Mexico and China, General Motors announced on Friday plans to build a future small car in the U.S. utilizing an idled UAW-GM facility. The automaker's vague press release does not give out any details on the car (though everything points towards the 2011 Chevy Spark) nor the location of the plant with GM saying that the selection of the site "will be determined in the future". However, the carmaker did note that the re-tooled factory will be capable of building around 160,000 cars annually, which can be a combination of both small and compact vehicles.

According to General Motors, the introduction of the small car will boost the company's percentage of U.S.-built cars and trucks sold in the States from about 67 percent today, to beyond 70 percent by 2013.

"Small cars represent one of the fastest growing segments in both the U.S. and around the world," said Fritz Henderson, General Motors President and CEO. "We believe this car will be a winner with our current and future customers in the U.S."

"I would like to personally thank the UAW for agreeing to work with us to ensure our overall manufacturing competitiveness in the United States. It takes a special effort by everyone to bring a domestically produced small car to market in a cost-competitive and profitable way - but that is what we are going to do together," Henderson added.

[Source: Carscoop]

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