• the chevrolet spark will be discontinued later this year, with production lasting through august, a gm spokesperson confirmed.
• the spark is currently the cheapest new car on sale in the united states, starting at $14,595.
• chevy will not offer a direct replacement for the spark, instead directing customers to its trax and trailblazer subcompact crossovers, both of which start over $20,000.

if you want a brand-new chevrolet spark, you'd better act fast. chevy’s diminutive hatchback—currently the cheapest new car on sale in the united states—will be discontinued later this year, a general motors spokesperson confirmed to car and driver today.

production of the spark will continue through august, at which point it will depart from the chevy lineup after a 10-year run. the spark is not expected to get a direct replacement, with the gm spokesperson saying that customers looking for a ride at “an approachable price still have strong options within chevrolet’s family of compact suvs.”

if you want to get your hands on a new spark before it goes the way of the dodo, you’ll have to cough up just $14,595 for the base ls model, around a third of the average cost of a new car, which has skyrocketed to $47,077. all sparks use a 98-horsepower inline-four, crawling to 60 mph in 10.8 seconds but returning an epa-rated 33 mpg combined.

after the spark departs, customers looking for a cheap chevrolet will have to turn to the aging trax, starting at $22,595, or the trailblazer, starting at $22,795. both subcompact crossovers cost substantially more than the spark, which will leave customers seeking a sub-$20,000 car to consider other brands. the title of cheapest car in the u.s. will migrate to the nissan versa, starting at $16,105, with the $16,125 mitsubishi mirage close behind.