As General Motors’ Chevrolet brand prepares to launch two fuel-efficient small cars in Europe and across the world, its U.S. arm prepares for the boost it expects the vehicles to give it at home.

The Chevrolet Cruze compact and Spark minicar are cornerstones of its plan to double its European sales to a million cars a year by 2015 and elevate the fuel economy and style of its U.S. small-car line.

“These cars are both good examples of the fit and finish, quality materials and appeal an automaker can get when it spreads its development costs over a large number of vehicles sold around the world,” said Erich Merkle, a Grand Rapids-based auto analyst. “That’s what Toyota and Honda have been beating GM’s head in with for years: the benefits of leveraging global sales.”

The Cruze will become one of Chevrolet’s core models, rolling out of a high-output plant in Lordstown, Ohio.

Chevrolet promises it will offer highway fuel economy of at least 40 m.p.g. and more passenger space than any other car in its class — including best-sellers like the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla.

“The Cruze is going to be huge sales volume” when it replaces the Cobalt as Chevrolet’s primary compact car, Chevy general manager Ed Peper said. “It’s going to be a mainstay of the brand like the Silverado, Malibu and Impala.” The Cobalt averages about 200,000 sales a year.

References to the Malibu come frequently when the topic is the Cruze. The midsize Malibu sedan gave Chevrolet a legitimate competitor to leading midsize sedans like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. People paid thousands of dollars more than they had for the old model, and the car topped the Accord and Camry in fuel-economy ratings and independent quality surveys. It was the first Chevy car to benefit from global engineering.

Chevrolet’s small and midsize cars labored in obscurity for decades, overlooked by buyers and GM’s North American leadership. They earned little or no money compared to big cars and trucks, so GM’s North American operations invested more time, money and talent in larger vehicles.

In Europe, Asia and Latin America, however, subcompact, compact and midsize cars dominate sales and determine the profit-loss equation.

“It the United States, small cars were an afterthought,” said analyst Stephanie Brinley of AutoPacific. “In the rest of the world, they were vital.” A few years ago, GM realized it could offer better small cars in the United States by selling globally engineered vehicles.

“There’s a better understanding outside North America of how to do cars that are small, efficient, profitable and appealing,” Brinley said. “GM is leveraging their global capabilities on the Cruze and Spark.”

The Cruze is the first vehicle developed to be a worldwide Chevrolet from the ground up. The rakish Spark minicar, which is to go on sale in Europe in a year and in the United States in 2011, is to come next, followed shortly by the Orlando, an innovative seven-seat compact minivan.

Chevrolet’s global design has a few key elements: a twin-port grille, gold Chevy badge, twin-cockpit interior that wraps around the front passengers, and round taillights.

“With a consistent design theme and global engineering, we can move a vehicle from one region of the world to another if we see potential for it,” GM design chief Ed Welburn said. “The Spark was never planned for sale in the U.S., but the market changed” when fuel prices soared and the economy crashed.

The Spark is to go on sale first in Europe, where Chevrolet sold 507,000 vehicles last year.

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* Edgy styling adds brio to mini-car segment
* Youthful interior look with unique motorcycle-inspired instrument pod
* Class-leading front and rear passenger room
* Frugal 1.0/1.2-liter engines deliver sub-120 g CO2 emissions

The all-new Chevrolet Spark, making its world premiere at Geneva, is a small car designed to make a big statement. It’s big on style, big on fuel economy and, like all products carrying the gold bowtie, big on value.

Distinctive, edgy styling conveys energy and spirit because this is a mini-car that’s as fun to drive as it is economical to own.

With punchy 1.0 and 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline engines and a five-door hatchback body format offering surprising versatility, the Chevy Spark is set to light up Europe’s mini-car segment.

Due on sale early next year, it is a production-ready version of the Beat concept car, the most popular of a trio of Chevy mini concepts that toured international motor shows in 2007. A clear majority among 1.9 million internet voters said it was the car they preferred.

“Spark will bring a fresh dimension to Europe’s growing mini-car segment,” says Wayne Brannon, GM Europe Vice President, Chevrolet. “It offers fuel efficiency, functionality and eye-catching design combined with excellent value.”

Size matters

For ‘cute and cuddly’, read ’strong and sharp’ – that’s the message behind Spark’s head-turning looks. Its edgy styling breaks the usual mold for city car design by making no soft, visual concessions about lack of size. Spark continues Chevrolet’s design revolution by bringing exciting looks to products in the value segment.

The crisp lines of the mono-cab body express a wedge-like profile, with the deep glasshouse balanced by prominent side body scallops, sculptured fenders and slim, teardrop headlamp units. The ‘active’ contours of the bodywork are free from rubbing strips or exterior trim.

At the front, the bold twin-port grille leads up to a hood that’s heavily sculpted above the headlamps. Below the grille, the lines of the fog lamp housings and the ‘floating’ lower air intake extend the sense of forward movement. Muscular rear wheel-arches, well filled with a choice of 13, 14 or 15-inch wheels, give the car a crouched, ready-to-go stance.

Rear door handles, disguised to preserve the clean look of those wheel-aches, an integrated rear tailgate spoiler and signature Chevy tail lights with round elements are other design details that add to Spark’s ‘must-have’ appeal.

Purposeful and poised, the Chevy Spark is a city car with ‘attitude’, small yet proud of its size.

Inspired cabin

The progressive design of Spark’s surprisingly spacious cabin has the flair to match its exterior looks. The use of quality materials and an uplevel execution were key interior design requirements, demonstrating that small cars offering big value need not look utilitarian or spartan inside.

Bright and engaging, the interior features an evolution of Chevrolet’s signature ‘dual cockpit’ design. The textured front fascia moldings flow each side of the cabin into the doors, creating a feeling of space that belies Spark’s diminutive size.

Exterior bodywork colors are carried through into the lower fascia and door panels. And the main controls are all highlighted in signature Chevy ice-blue, adding to the cabin’s youthful looks.

A unique, motorcycle-inspired main instrument pod, incorporating a large speedometer and digital tachometer display, is another striking design feature.

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Chevrolet Spark: World Premiere at Geneva Auto Show

Fun and fashion add sizzle to mini-car segment
Youthful interior with motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster
Fuel-efficient 1.0-liter and 1.2-liter 4-cylinder DOHC engines

All-new mini-car with maximum attitude
The all-new Chevrolet Spark, making its world premiere at the Geneva auto show in March, is a small car designed to make a big statement. It’s big on style, big on fuel economy and, like all products carrying the Chevrolet gold bowtie, big on refinement and value.

Its design breaks the mold for mini-cars and takes Chevrolet’s signature styling elements to this vehicle segment in a youthful, fun and fashion-conscious way.

Spark was inspired by the Chevrolet Beat concept, the most popular of a trio of mini-car concepts that has toured international auto shows since 2007. A clear majority among 1.9 million internet voters said it was the car they wanted produced.

Exterior
The crisp lines of the five-door hatchback provide a wedge-like profile. Below Chevrolet’s hallmark two-tier grille and headlamps that resemble diamond cut lines, the shape of the fog lamp housings and the “floating” lower air intake extend the sense of forward movement. Strong wheel arches accommodate up to 15-inch wheels to give the car a dynamic, ready-to-go stance.

The rear door handles are integrated into the upper part of the door to preserve the clean lines of rear quarter panel and wheel arches. In the rear, an integrated tailgate spoiler and Chevrolet’s round tail lights add to Spark’s appeal.

With an overall length of 3,640 mm and a generous 2,375 mm wheelbase, Spark offers a spacious cabin with outstanding leg and hip room in the front and rear.

Interior
The design of Spark’s spacious cabin clearly matches its fun and fashion exterior look and functionality. A unique feature is the motorcycle-inspired instrument cluster. Mounted on the steering column, it provides easy- to- read information to the driver utilizing a combination of analog and digital displays.

With fresh colors and fabrics, exterior color schemes continue inside to Chevrolet’s signature ‘dual cockpit’ layout and the door panels. Textured inserts flow from the instrument panel to each side of the cabin into the doors, adding another eye-catching element to the interior.

Spark also boasts a high level of interior acoustic refinements typical of larger vehicles.

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The South Korean unit of General Motors Corp. said Monday it will begin selling the Chevrolet Spark mini-car in the United States in 2011 as part of the U.S. parent’s push to focus on smaller, fuel-efficient models.

What’s more, automakers can bring microcars to market at relatively low cost, since they already have developed the platforms for foreign markets, where they often sell extremely well.

“We’ve been thinking about dipping our toe into this market for a while now,” said Troy Clarke, GM’s president of North America. He predicts that the Spark, which will go on sale in Europe next year prior to coming stateside in 2011, could be a big success.

“It could be a 90,000 or more volume vehicle,” he said, adding that the company could consider an electric version.

The Spark is a microcar currently sold in markets including India and South America, but this new car has pretty much nothing to do with it. It takes all it’s styling for the Beat and, unlike the Spark, will actually be sold in North America. Originally, the triplet of concept cars was not meant for the American market.

But, apparently, the market has changed enough (and it has certainly changed) that pretty much the whole world will be able to buy one.