GM confirms Chevrolet Spark minicar is headed to the U.S.

The Chevrolet Spark minicar will hit U.S. shores, General Motors said on Thursday from an auto-industry conference in Traverse City, Mich. The Spark will be built in the first half of next year as a 2013 model.

Jason Laird, GM's executive director of North American product communications, tweeted from the event: "Spark minicar will give Chevrolet A-B-C-D-E segment coverage for the first time in the U.S."

The Spark will give Chevy a competitor to vehicles such as the Scion iQ and the Fiat 500.

The Spark is based on the Korean-market Daewoo Matiz and will continue to be built there.

The Chevy Spark, which we first saw in 2009 at the Detroit auto show, is the smallest car the brand has ever sold. Possibilities for the base engine include a hyperefficient four-cylinder engine displacing between 1.0 liter and 2.0 liters.

The five-door Spark is currently running around some Asian and European countries and generally helping the brand's presence in the global minicar market.

By Jake Lingeman