The Indian arm of the American automaker, General Motors India which sells its car in India under the brand Chevrolet launched the entry level Chevrolet Spark hatchback in India. After five years of the carâEUR(TM)s launch in India, the hatchback is all set to undergo a makeover. The company at that time was going through a tough time with very low number of sales every month and hence this was the much needed launch which the company needed to come out of low sales. In India it is important to have a small hatchback in the fleet of cars being offered to the customers that can help in generating volumes. The only vehicle from the stables of Chevrolet which was doing good in India was Chevrolet Tavera MUV which could post decent sales every month. Things then changed with the launch of new Chevrolet Spark hatchback that succeeded in luring the Indian customers. Chevrolet Spark price in India was the major reason behind the success of the petite car in India which appealed to the middle class families. The monthly sales surged with the high demand for the hatchback as it gave options to the first time buyers who earlier had only two choices, either Maruti 800 or Maruti Alto.Â
In the global markets this is the second generation Chevrolet Spark which was earlier present as Daewoo Matiz. Matiz is the same car that hails from Korea and was introduced in India in 1998 and rivalled the likes of Hyundai Santro small car which was doing extremely well in India at that time. The small car could not withstand the tough competition given by car makers like Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motors India which managed to carve a niche for themselves in the Indian car market. Chevrolet Spark is a small car that can easily accommodate four adults inside the cabin. It has contemporary looks that make it look conspicuous among its arch rivals Maruti 800 and Maruti Alto this is one reason why a lot of customers opt for Spark instead of the above mentioned Maruti cars.
However, with the introduction of Hyundai Eon, things have changed a bit as the customers now have even more choice to pick from in the A segment cars which is popular among the first time buyers. One huge drawback in Spark is the lack of diesel engine which is extremely important now a days, the lack of diesel engine has caused slump in sales to a large extent. The low sales volume of the hatchback has led to the launch of the new version of Spark in India however there is no chance of launch of the diesel version despite the high demand we have learnt. The new version of the hatchback will be bestowed in the Indian car market by the end of the year 2012.
Expectations are high with this new version of the hatchback which will soon see the light of the day. But we still think what could be the reason behind not introducing a diesel version of the hatchback in India as the demand is soaring high every day and petrol prices are increasing uncontrollably. However, SparkâEUR(TM)s cousin Beat is present in the Indian car market in diesel avatar which is doing very well in India, launched last year in India the hatchback accounts for half of the monthly sales of the car maker. Had the company launched Spark diesel, things would have been much better as diesel powered cars are more in demand and being a small  a car small car it definitely has an advantage over other cars. Let us see if the company changes its mind and introduces a diesel Spark in India anytime soon.Â
