Trying to get Americans, used to rumbling around in some of the biggest cars on the planet, into A-segment hatches such as the Chevy Spark - which was released on the US market this week - is like trying to get a live octopus into a milk bottle.
A slippery proposition.
So GM's marketing mavens came up with a graphic, comparing the Spark to the last Chev model released before the 1973 oil crisis, that year's Impala, a true aircraft-carrier of a car, nearly six metres long and in many ways the end of an era.
They pointed out that looks can be deceiving; today's cars are considerably better packaged than the sedans of the early 1970s so they're much smaller outside but designers are putting a lot more inside t hem than you might expect.
To start with, a Spark is half the length of the '73 Impala, but it's actually 150mm taller.
Both models run on 15” rims.
Now this you may find difficult to believe:
GM claims that front and rear headroom and front legroom are about the same on both cars, although the Impala has a clear advantage in rear legroom and all-round shoulder room.