Hot on the heels of Toyota’s new Etios budget car entry, General Motors South Africa (GMSA) has added a new member to its locally made Spark range, at a price of R99 900.

The 1.2 Campus derivative is aimed at younger buyers, as its name indicates, and it set to play an important role in growing GMSA’s local production volumes to 50 000 units a year – the level at which incentives kick in under government’s new Automotive Production Development Plan, notes GMSA sales and marketing VP Malcolm Gauld.

“The transfer of the manufacture of this latest generation Chevrolet small car to South Africa has allowed us to far better exploit the opportunities that this affords in tailoring vehicle specifications to specific local requirements and contain costs in an important market segment,” he explains.

The Spark was previously imported from Korea.

“At the time of the commencement of local manufacture and the announcement of the new Chevrolet Spark range for 2012 we alluded to some excitement in the range still to come,” notes Gauld.

“That promise is now realised with the announcement of a third model in the range – the new Spark 1.2 Campus – that further extends the value for money proposition offered by the Spark.”

The Chevrolet Spark 1.2 Campus joins the Spark 1.2 L and Spark 1.2 LS derivatives.

While the Campus retains the looks of the L and LS models, it cuts back on some of the non-essentials and styling options offered on the L specification level.

Safety features on the Campus include ABS brakes with electronic brake force distribution, as well as driver and passenger front airbags. Security features include a transponder immobiliser system and key-activated central locking.

Convenience features include manual air conditioning, power steering, height-adjustment for the driver’s seat, tinted glass all round, rear window defogger, cup holders and interior courtesy and map lights. Styling includes colour-coded door handles, bumpers and exterior rear view mirrors.

From a performance perspective, the new Chevrolet Spark 1.2 Campus has the same drivetrain as the Spark 1.2 L and LS models. The 1.2-litre, four-cylinder, in-line engine produces 60 kW at 6 400 rpm, with 108 Nm of torque at 4 800 rpm. This is transmitted to the front wheels via a five-speed manual transmission.

Top speed on the Campus is 164 km/h, with acceleration from rest to 100 km/h in 13.3 seconds.

Combined city and freeway fuel consumption is 5.4 l/100km.

The Chevrolet Spark 1.2 Campus is covered by a 5-year/120 000 km warranty, with roadside assistance for the full warranty period.

Service intervals are 12 months or 15 000 km.

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