SEOUL, KOREA - GM Korea announced on December 20 that its compact car Chevrolet Spark was named as the Top Safety Pick of the Year 2014 by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. At present, Spark is produced at the Changwon plant and shipped to the United States and Canada.

Conducted with new cars that will be released in North America in 2014, the IIHS's collision test assessed five areas, including front, side, rear, roof strength, and front side. In particular, this year's test is added with a small overlap test that measured the degree of damage on drivers and vehicles when the vehicle collides on a wall at a speed of 40 miles (64 km) per hour.

The Spark achieved the "Good" grade in four areas and the "Acceptable" grade in the small overlap test. Up to 66.5 percent of the steel plates that form the frame of Spark are high-tension steel plates.

A GM Korea official said, "Among compact cars selling in North America, the Spark became the only one that achieved the best safety grade." "For the side of the frame, Spark is appointed with ultra-high tension steel plates, first among compact cars," he added.