The Reason Why Chevrolet Discontinued The Spark

American automaker Chevrolet had been peddling the Spark subcompact hatchback in other parts of the world before giving U.S. buyers a taste of the third-gen Spark in 2012. The Chevy Spark was an instant hit, and became the fastest-selling new car in America just a few months after launching, and it's not hard to see why.

For starters, the Spark was the smallest car that General Motors sold in America, and had a $12,995 base price. The Spark sold alongside the Sonic and Cruze as General Motors' weapons of choice in the once-popular subcompact and compact segment, and its sub-$13k base price is a breath of fresh air against highly-priced pickup trucks and SUVs.

The Spark repeatedly claimed the title of the cheapest new car in America during its heyday before GM discontinued production in August 2022. The writings were on the wall as buyer preferences shifted from cheap, economical cars to roomier crossovers and SUVs.

In 2017, Spark sales fell 11% from the prior year. The economies of scale didn't add up, so GM took the ax and chopped the Spark off its lineup before the 2023 model year. The Spark wasn't the only victim of the SUV craze in Chevrolet's vehicle lineup: The Chevy Cruze departed in 2019, followed by the Sonic hatchback and sedan in 2020.

As of 2024, the Malibu is the only sedan in Chevrolet's North American inventory despite announcing in 2019 that it'll undergo the same fate as the Spark and other sedans/hatchbacks wearing the bowtie logo.

You'll need to refocus on the Trax or Trailblazer if you want an affordable, sub-$24,000 new Chevy vehicle, although both are nowhere near as mass-market affordable as the Spark. However, there's hope if you want a new car for under $17,000. The longstanding Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa are two of the cheapest new cars for 2024, although rumors are ripe of both models crossing the rainbow bridge soon.