WINDHOEK – The Chevrolet Spark, which remains one of South Africa’s most affordable vehicles, highlights safety features as some of its most important aspects. All derivatives in the Spark range, which consists of six versions, feature a minimum of two airbags, along with ABS and EBD, as standard.
Considered a no-brainer by General Motors South Africa, Chevrolet Brand Manager, Tim Hendon, elaborates: “We have adopted a no-compromise approach with the Chevy Spark in South Africa, a country where both fatal and non-fatal road accidents are rife. We pride ourselves on the importance of safety, where a compromise on modern safety elements like ABS and airbags is not an option. We are committed to providing our customers with safe vehicles, no matter how cost-effective they may need to be.”
Spark safety credentials are important on a global level, where in the United States the Chevrolet Spark was awarded the Top Safety Pick accolade from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earlier in 2014 – the only supermini to achieve the award thanks to an Acceptable rating in the Institute’s small overlap crash test. Airbags aside, the Spark’s body construction, which includes strategic crumple zones and impact protection beams, contributed to the high rating.
The Chevrolet Spark’s safety credentials were also highlighted in the South African context in 2014, when an accident involving two pensioners in the Eastern Cape saw their Spark subjected to a high-speed impact. Both occupants walked away from the accident with only slight bruising, the driver – 69-year-old Denise Westgate – having remarked at how her vehicle’s ABS and EBD allowed for control to be maintained and that the structural integrity of the body allowed for a safe and easy exit once the vehicle had stopped moving. Westgate went on to replace her vehicle with another Spark.
“We build the Chevrolet Spark in Port Elizabeth to international GM standards in all respects, with safety regulations and requirements of the highest level to ensure our vehicles are as safe as possible. It’s a simple, no-compromise approach to the most important facet of our interaction with the people who drive our vehicles – their safety,” concludes Hendon.