General Motors South Africa has announced that the shipping of locally produced Chevrolet Spark’s dealers countrywide has commenced. The manufacturing of Sparks at the Struandale plant in PE not only brings about greater compliance with the government’s Automotive Production Development Plan (APDP), but also helps realise a saving that will be passed on to consumers.
“I am happy to announce a realigned pricing structure with a meaningful reduction in price for our popular Chevrolet Spark coupled to the shipping of the locally produced model,” says Malcolm Gauld, GMSA’s vice president of sales and marketing. “The new price for the entry level model Spark is now R107 500 inclusive of VAT, a reduction in price of 7%. There is even better news for those that want to go a bit more up market with their trim level with an upgrade to the Spark LS. This model now retails for R116 500 inclusive of VAT, a saving of 9,7% over the imported model. This makes the Spark a serious contender in the entry level market and an excellent value proposition.”
The allocation of locally produced Sparks to dealerships marks the completion of the company’s second phase of a major three-stage investment in GMSA’s Struandale plant in Port Elizabeth – the first being was the introduction of the new Chevrolet Utility and the final stage will involve the introduction of a new Isuzu light commercial vehicle. It’s also a move that brings the company into line with the government’s Automotive Production Development Plan (APDP) and will target an annual local production figure of 50 000 units.
The Chevrolet Spark has already made a name for itself in the light car segment thanks to a its distinctive styling and engaging dynamics, as well as the inclusion of such safety features as ABS brakes, Electronic Brake Force Distribution, and airbags for both driver and front seat passenger across the range.
In addition to the aforementioned price realignment, GMSA is also offering a Sports kit for the Spark LS costing R 3000 as well as an alloy wheel kit to give owners the chance to visually pep up their cars.