What Does This Gear Do?
Chevrolet’s Spark microcar is pointed directly at the tech-savvy youth market with features like the slick MyLink multimedia system. Did GM pull an Apple with the name of the gear selector? There’s an “I” in the shift pattern, as in the possible iGear, iShift or iMoveHereToGoForward.
Apple didn’t license any shifting nomenclature in the Spark. The oddly named “I” gear position is a different abbreviation for a very common feature.
The letter signifies the Spark’s Intermediate gear on the shifter; it performs the same function as the more common “2” used elsewhere. When selected, the transmission will shift into 2nd gear and hold that gear by locking out additional upshifts. Holding 2nd gear helps when the extra revs are needed for more power to climb a hill or to drive downhill using engine braking to maintain speed.
