Small Cars Make a Big Statement at the Detroit Auto Show

New Mini-Cars Set to Hit the US Market

Are Americans finally ready to downsize their rides for good With up to a year long wait for the pint-size Smart car and the continued sales growth of the fashionable Mini brand downsizing could be more than a fad The switch to smaller more fuel-efficient cars is something the US automakers are also working on

At the Detroit Auto Show General Motors bid for a piece of the growing segment by announcing production of the Chevrolet Spark The all-new four-door mini-car coming in at 11 5 feet in length will be the company s smallest car to date And with the unveiling of the new Ford Ka at the Paris Auto Show Ford is considering manufacturing an American version of the popular European mini-car

The Spark was originally shown as a concept called the Beat at the 2007 New York Auto Show and GM s website was flooded with over 2 million votes to make it a real car Sales will begin in Europe in the first quarter of 2010 followed by the US in 2011

Produced for General Motors