The New Chevrolet Spark Will Be Built At An Old Ford Truck Factory
Talk about trolling the competition.
The new Chevrolet Spark is one of the coolest models GM makes that isn’t available in the U.S. The subcompact electric vehicle has a tall, boxy body that makes it look like a little Land Rover Defender.
It’s a product of the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture in China and is also sold there as the Baojun Yep Plus at a starting price around $11,000 with 187 miles of driving range per charge, based on the Chinese rating system.
Chevy doesn’t have any plans to offer it in the U.S., but it just went on sale in Brazil where it’s priced close to $30,000. Brazil has a 25% on Chinese EVs, which is increasing to 35% next year. The Spark will soon be built in Brazil, however. Well, it will be assembled there.
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Brazilian trading company Comexport is opening a factory in the city of Horizonte where the Spark and imported vehicles from other brands will be assembled from “knock down kits,” which have all of the parts required to build the vehicle, according to Ford Authority.
It’s a common practice in emerging markets that doesn’t require the establishment of a large regional supply chain, but helps companies satisfy local manufacturing regulations and job creation programs. The American band Lucid currently produces the electric Air sedan in Saudi Arabia under a similar system.
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What’s interesting about Comexport’s facility is that it used to build the Troller T4, which was a rugged off-road SUV similar to a Ford Bronco. In fact, Ford bought Troller in 2007 before discontinuing the brand in 2021.
After failing to find a buyer for the factory, Ford handed it off to the state of Ceará, which sold it to Comexport as part of an economic development program with an eye on assembling up to 40,000 vehicles annually for a variety of brands.
Despite its diminutive size — roughly the same as a Hyundai Venue — the Spark has a large passenger compartment and a front trunk or “frunk” under the hood. It’s also loaded with electronic driver aids and a 360-degree camera system.
Chevrolet does have a new $30,000 electric vehicle coming soon to U.S. dealers that’s made in the USA.
The 2026 Chevrolet Bolt is a reboot of the model that was discontinued in 2023 and will be built in Kansas starting late this year. Chevrolet hasn’t revealed any specifications yet, or an exact price, but said it won’t cost much more than the last one, so a $30,000 target is expected.