Holden Spark snuffed out for Australian market

HOLDEN has killed off its Spark micro hatch, quietly dropping the Korean-made car from its local line-up earlier this year.

The loss of the Spark, a 2017 Wheels Car of the Year contender, comes in the wake of poor sales in the segment, and follows Ford’s decision to stop marketing almost all versions of the Fiesta in Australia once the new one arrives on global markets.

The move is likely to give the micro car segment’s biggest seller, the Kia Picanto, an even larger slice of sales. In March, the Picanto accounted for 484 sales, giving it a 73 percent share of the segment. In contrast, the Spark managed 67 sales, a single sale ahead of the more premium-priced Fiat 500, accounting for only a 10 percent share. The Mitsubishi Mirage, which attracted 50 sales in the segment, is the only other micro-car on sale.

The sales figures show that only 313 Sparks were sold in the first quarter of 2018.

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The three-variant Spark range started with the $13,990 LS, fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. Stepping up to a CVT cost $15,690. The flagship LT wore a sticker price of $18,990 and was available only with a CVT.

The Spark was powered by a 1.4-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine producing 73kW and 124Nm.

Holden introduced the Spark in 2016, with 2017 its only full year on the market where it sold 1227 units.

The brand will continue to sell the Barina and Astra hatch in Australia.

Despite winning a small car comparison in 2016 against the Kia Picanto and the Suzuki Celerio, the Holden Spark was knocked out in the first round of the 2017 Wheels Car of the Year awards, despite its ability to put a smile on many of the judges’ faces. Counting hard against it was the higher cost the further up the Spark range a buyer went.