Chevrolet hasn’t witnessed much commercial success in India; apart from minute success of Beat hatch and Cruze sedan none of the other products stood tall for the carmaker. But the carmaker hasn’t given up yet and 2016 Auto expo was the testimony to the fact. The event witnessed slew of new cars and Essentia compact sedan was one of them. It appears that beat based sedan has entered into the testing phase it was spotted on test runs for the first time on Indian roads.
Showcased at latest iteration of Auto Expo, the Essentia is destined to take on Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Figo Aspire and Volkswagen Ameo. As said, it is based on India made next Generation Beat hatchback which has been spied multiple times. The Spotted mule was covered under heavy camouflage; the overall layout seems to be similar to what we’ve seen at Indian auto Expo.
The side profile along with small rear window and taller boot lid are quite evident. Also one can see the front grille partially and body creases similar to concept vehicle but it will be interesting to see how much will be taken from the concept car. Chevrolet hasn’t revealed much about dimensions of Essentia but it will be smaller than Sail sedan.
In terms of features, it might get Chevy’s Mylink2 touchscreen infotainment system with Apple car play and Android Auto, floating instrument cluster with digital speedometer, tachometer etc. It might also feature climate control with heater, 12V power sockets, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors with camera.
On the powertrain front, it will the same beat powered 1.0 litre diesel engine delivering 56bhp power and 142.5Nm of torque. There will also be a 1.2 litre petrol mill that produces 77bhp of max power and 107Nm of torque. Both the engines send power to front wheels via a five speed manual gearbox and it might possibly get an AMT gearbox as well. Chevrolet will try its best to keep localization levels higher in order to price it competitively. The Essentia is expected to cost between Rs. 4.2 to 7 lakh (ex-showroom) when it launches in early next year.
