Chicago Auto Show – the Chevy Spark Is Maybe Awesome

Chevy’s all-electric and rather aptly named Spark was one of its offerings at the Chicago Auto Show, and the little car is ridiculously cute in person. It was the first display Jo and I visited, and it looked great. Power it with renewable energy, and you’ve got one of the greenest (and cutest) driving experiences available.

Super Cute on the Outside

The Spark is, as we said, all electric; it’s marketed toward customers who have predictable driving patterns or short commutes (which makes it the same kind of short-range city commuter that other automakers are offering), and it will be available in both the United States and Canada.

GM would like you to know that the Spark has a vibrant exterior – and they’re not entirely wrong. The models they brought to the Chicago show were more pastel than vibrant, but still bright and clear colors that stand out in a sea of gray and black and beige. The pale pink is particularly cute, but perhaps the bright blue would be a little bit more masculine. Either way, it’s a small electric car with all the advantages.

But Will the Touch Screen Hold Up?

The Spark also has a 7 inch touchscreen, which to be honest makes me a little bit leery. Actually, all touch screens make me a little bit nervous – they work great now, but as the car ages, things will inevitably start going wrong. Dials are much harder to break than touch screens. Chevy’s 5-year 100,000 mile warranty does nothing to address this concern, as it applies to the powertrain only and five years is about when I’d start expecting the touch screen to go bad anyway.

We weren’t able to actually climb inside a Spark and see how they look on the inside (what’s up with al of these “Don’t touch the display” signs?), but if the interior matches the exterior for cuteness and quality, Chevy might have a real winner on their hands.

Source: Gas2.0