The Chevrolet Beat a.k.a next-gen Matiz/Spark, was photographed while testing a few days ago. The car has nearly come to the completion of its test cycle and is set to encounter a production line very shortly. Designed by Indians and developed by the Koreans, the Beat will undoubtedly be introduced in India right after its International launch, or maybe parallely with European markets.
A 1.2-liter turbocharged petrol engine will find its place under the hood of this 5-door hatchback. Industry persons predict the car won’t be sold in the U.S. due to its safety standards, which are not U.S. complaint, as the Chevrolet engineers were given a duty to fabricate a small car for developing markets such as India.
The spy photos imply the design of the concept and the production car will share a lot in common. The inclusion of rear doors, which the concept car lacked, hasn’t modified the look of the car, but then, any small car with 5-doors and a thrifty engine sells well in India, isn’t it? From the spy shots, you can notice the increased height, the Hyundai i10-like hood and a front quarter glass panel which is similar to the Suzuki SX4.
The interiors of the Beat are top-class and according to sources, will arrive with a sat nav, which might not be existent in the Indian version. Another thing which we don’t know is which diesel engine GM will fit in this car. If it’s the Multijet which the Palio and the Swift at present employ, GM might ultimately have what we call a ‘cracker’ in its hands. An arousing design, lots of space, a diesel engine and a GM logo- What the Beat can do is not very tough to forecast.
Hey jaz I dont think there is any scope left for offering discounts in spark .
Any idea how much will be the price diff in a turbo petrol and a non turbo petrol ?
@Ganesh- This car is in India by the end of this year. Watch out for it! You planning to buy one?
Man , I am waiting for this car to hit the indian roads. Hope GM gets it to India as soon a possible
The 1.2 turbo is a first in this class…hope it makes it to india. It would surely be a very hot hatch!
yes sudhir. You are right. I hope they don’t announce discount schemes now and then and ruin the image of the car. This might look like a smaller sibling of the Civic. Like a concept car.
GM Can continue the existing Spark as budget car and position this as primium hatch , which in turn fill the gaps in product line.