When you are building a ‘global’ car to compete in the fastest-growing area of the new car market worldwide, there must be an awful temptation to produce a design that offends no-one.

Cute conservative styling, lacklustre handling and an instantly forgettable anonymity might be seen as the way to ensure sales from India to Africa, Australia to the USA.

Chevrolet clearly decided that it would play a much higher-risk strategy with the aggressively styled Spark.

Because although this car is small, it has a big stand-out-in-the-crowd personality.

And unlike some of its small car competitors, it stands a much better chance of clinching sales among the more demanding drivers in Europe.

The edgy looks that cloak the five-door, five-seater are backed up by a classy, well-packaged interior, which is a genuine surprise in such a small car.

Although the Korean-designed car is the successor to the Matiz, it is a sleeker, much more sophisticated act.

And that shines through on the road. The car has taut, responsive, predictable handling and low wind noise.

Priced from about £7,000, the Spark has a choice of 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre petrol engines, both matched to a five-speed gearbox.

The test car, powered by the larger 81 horsepower unit, is both nippy and nimble round town, yet surefooted at higher speeds, though road noise builds steadily as speed increases.

Inside, the focal point of the cabin is the motorcycle-style instrument ‘pod’, which sits on top of the steering column. The analogue speedometer is backed up by a sports motorcycle-style digital rev counter, backlit by ‘ice blue’ lighting when the headlights are turned on.

Another smart feature is the centre console, which houses the radio, heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls in one place, leaving the fascia uncluttered.

The heating and ventilation controls have a surround that lights up in ice blue to match the instrument panel when driving at night.

Equipment is generous too, with all but the entry-level model fitted with air conditioning, electric front windows and central locking, along with a USB-compatible four-speaker stereo.

The LS test car added remote central locking, silver trim detailing, a sunglasses holder, 14-inch wheels, body-coloured door handles and mirrors, a chrome-effect grille surround, front fog lamps and a body-coloured rear spoiler.

Safety has been a high priority and the car, which has anti-lock brakes, built-in crush zones and a raft of safety equipment, has earned a four-star Euro NCAP crash test rating.

That equipment ranges from twin front airbags, side curtain airbags and seat-mounted thorax and abdomen airbags, to seatbelt pretensioners and a pedal retraction system, which pulls the pedal box away from the car’s occupants in a frontal collision, reducing the risk of leg injury.

Auto facts Chevrolet Spark 1.2 LS HS

  • Price: £9,415
  • Insurance group: Five (1-50)
  • Fuel consumption (Combined): 55.4mpg
  • Top speed: 102mph
  • Length: 364cm/143.3in
  • Width: 143.8cm/62.8in
  • Luggage capacity: Six cu ft
  • Fuel tank capacity: 7.7 gallons/35 litres
  • CO2 emissions: 119g/km
  • Warranty: Five years/100,000 miles