The General motors’ will be launching a range of new products for the Indian market in coming years. With Trailblazer launched last year followed by Cruze facelift now, Chevrolet showcased slew of new vehicles like Spin MPV, beat Activ, Chevrolet Stingray Corvette and Essentia sedan at the 2016 edition of Indian auto Expo held at the expo Mart, Greater Noida.
The beat Essentia is primarily a sub compact sedan which will fight in the overcrowded segment against the well established players like Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Ford Figo Aspire, Hyundai Xcent, Tata zest and soon to be launched Volkswagen Ameo. Expected to be manufactured at company’s Talegaon plant from 2017, it will fall in price bracket of Rs. 4.6-6.9 lakhs (ex-showroom).
The design philosophy of the sedan is carried forward by beat hatchback but the good thing is that it is limited to front fascia only. The design cues include front spilt grille, sweptback headlamps with smoked effect, circular fog lamps and well proportionate side profile. Coming to the rear which is probably the most important part for the compact sedan, well looking at the rear of Essentia makes you feel that it’s a proper sedan not a hatchback with additional boot. The Neat tail light design adds a beautiful flavor to the overall style of the sub 4 meter sedan.
The cabin is expected to be futuristic with features like Mylink touchscreen system with Android auto, blacklit MID with tachometer, speedometer, distance to travel etc. The cabin gets dual tone finish with piano black touch at the centre, climate control, dual airbags, reverse parking camera and much more.
The beat Essentia would draw power from the same engines of the hatchback- 1.2 Litre SmartTech petrol mill producing max power of 77.5bhp and 106.5Nm of torque and a 1.0 Litre SmartTech diesel motor good for 56bhp power and 142.5Nm torque. Both the engines are linked to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard while Petrol variant will get an AMT transmission. There is a strong possibility that Chevrolet might introduce new 1.4l Ecotec engine seen on Spark hatchback in international markets.
