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The last veil has been lifted from the 2014 Chevy Spark EV, allowing us to finally view the Korean import in all its aero-optimized glory. While we aren't much surprised by its appearance - the prototype in our First Drive wore only the thinnest of camo disguises - we were a bit taken aback by the announced pricing.

Customers will need to scrounge up almost $25,000 to park GM's first purchasable (you could only lease its predecessor, the EV1) all-electric automobile in their driveways. That's just under $32,500 for those who don't qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit. Or, to put it another way, almost double the base price of the gasoline-powered version after the federal incentive.

In the context of other available electrics, that puts it well below the after-incentive $32,495 for the Ford Focus EV, but substantially higher than the $21,625 needed to bring home a Mitsubishi i. More importantly, it puts it dangerously close to the Nissan Leaf's current post-credit $27,700 pricetag, and perhaps even above the cost of the 2013 American-built model.

Luckily, GM isn't betting the farm with the Spark EV. With its US rollout expanded only slightly from California to include Oregon, the peppy little hatch should find enough buyers to suit its compliance purposes. And, like its plug-in Chevy Volt sister, the Spark shouldn't be seen as a means to an end in itself, but rather a starting point towards further electrification options for future models.

To get all the details - except, oddly enough, the estimated range expected from its 20-plus kilowatt-hour battery pack - check out the official press release below.Continue reading Chevy Spark EV unveiled, priced under $25K with tax incentives

Chevy Spark EV unveiled, priced under $25K with tax incentives originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Nov 2012 12:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.



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