Chevrolet, a subsidiary of General Motors Limited, has been in the Indian automobile market since 2003. Their cars, starting from the entry level models to the luxurious SUVs, are very popular in India. The Chevrolet Beat, which was introduced in early 2010, and later upgraded in 2011 with a diesel version, had a facelift version launched in 2014.
The Chevrolet Beat has a trendy and sporty appearance. The twin black meshed grilles have chrome surrounds and the big Chevy logo lies in between. LT and LT (O) variants have a chrome front grille and body colored door handles. The integrated design of the rear door handles placed in line with the €C’ pillar gives the car a two door look.
The side profile is sporty with crisp lines, well-shaped wheel arches and a sloping roof with satin silver rails. The twin barrel design head lamps stretch from the front face to the back of the hood. A black back spoiler (body colored for the higher variants), the high mounted stop lamps and the jewel effect tail lamps are some of the features at the rear. For the LT and LT (O) variants a €B’ pillar styling strip and body colored ORVMs are provided.
The interior is stylish with the dash board in piano black having twin consoles. An air conditioning system, a music system with 4 speakers, CD player, MP3 and AM and FM radio are also available. A tilt steering, ABS, dual airbags and child lock facility are the standard safety features.
The Beat comes in ten versions, four in petrol, four in diesel and two in LPG, with fuel efficient engines. The petrol versions use 1199 cc, 80 bhp, 108 NM torque and 18.6 kmpl mileage engines. The diesel variants use 936 cc, 57 bhp, 150 NM torque engines with a mileage of 25.44 kmpl. The LPG variants use 1199 cc engines with 13.3 km/kg fuel economy. The petrol versions give a maximum speed of 150 kmph.
The physical dimensions of the Beat are 3640 mm length, 1595 mm width, 1520 mm height, 2375 mm wheel base and 165 mm ground clearance. The kerb weight is 965 kg for the petrol versions and 1027 kg for the diesel variants. The suspensions are Mac Pherson strut at the front and compound link type at the rear. The power brakes are disc type at the front and drum type at the rear with 14€ radial steel (alloy for higher variants) wheels.
The Chevrolet Beat is priced between Rupees 3.97 lakhs and 6 lakhs. To take on the likes of the Wagon R and the i10 will be difficult given the huge confidence Maruti and Hyundai enjoy with the Indian consumer.
