AIMS: Holden Barina Spark – or fizzle?

Holden’s small-car sales revival may have had its handbrake pulled before it begins.

The highly anticipated Barina Spark, a Korean-made five-door designed to take on fellow Korean cars and the new wave of Chinese hatchbacks, has a sharp starting price of $13,990 drive-away. But you can only drive-away if you know how to drive a car with a manual stick shift. An automatic version is still 18 months away. Up to 70 per cent of buyers in the Light Car class opt for automatic transmission, although Holden disputes this figure.

“Our data shows us it’s a 50 per cent auto market,” the boss of Holden Mike Devereaux told the media at the Sydney motor show this morning.

Even on Holden’s estimates, this means the Barina Spark is missing out on half of potential car buyers in the Light Car class.

“We will still have a competitively priced Barina auto for those who want an auto,” he said.

Barina is an aging vehicle; including its previous life as a Daewoo it is more than 12 years old. The Barina Spark, however, is an all-new model.

And Holden will let you design your own Spark. The carmaker has enlisted the help of eight models as brand ambassadors, who are volunteering their services to the campaign in return for the exposure in the campaign. Charlotte Dawson from Australia’s top model helped unveil the car today.

The Barina Spark is powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine and comes with a five-speed manual transmission only. It is due on sale at the end of the month.

By contrast, the next generation full-size Barina is due mid-way through next year.

For our full coverage of the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney visit our minisite at carsales.com.au/aims

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