CVT Transmission To Increase MPG on 2014 Chevy Spark

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f70/cvt-nets-2014-chevrolet-spark-39-mpg-highway-118628/

By: Nick Saporito

Several weeks ago it was revealed that Chevrolet was replacing the Spark’s four-speed automatic transmission in favor of a new continuously variable automatic. Today Chevy finally revealed EPA ratings of 30 mpg city and 39 mpg highway for the 2014 Spark, a two mile per gallon increase in both city and highway ratings over the 2013 model.

When the Spark launched last year, there was some criticism toward the car’s fuel economy ratings when paired with the automatic transmission. Amongst its competitors, the Spark was towards the bottom, with only the Fiat 500 having a lower average fuel economy rating. GM apparently took the criticism to heart by swapping the transmission out, or at least had the foresight of knowing that consumers would expect better fuel economy out of such a small car.

Regardless of the motivation, the increase in Spark’s automatic fuel economy means that the five-speed manual version of the car has only a very slight advantage with a 31 mpg city rating, sharing the same 39 mpg highway rating with the automatic.

For 2014 the Spark continues to be powered by a 1.2-liter Ecotec four-cylinder engine that generates 84 horsepower and 83 foot-pounds of torque.