But a few of them REALLY caught our attention.

First up is the Beat music edition which features:

• Custom Orange color with white graphics
• White alloy wheels
• A chrome tip muffler
• White OVRMS
• And as the name suggest, a custom Music System

GM said it was testing the response of the public to the orange color for the showroom models.

Next in my personal favorite – A customized Cruze featuring:

• LED headlamps
• Smoking hot alloy wheels
• Mercedes E-Class like rear tail lamp with LEDs
• And a RockFord Fosgate music system

This vehicle is another study but there was no clarity on whether GM will list these accessories in the brochure. What GM did tell us, without being specific, was they believed a lot could be done with the Cruze.

Simple and sweet, ain’t it?

Later GM India said the infrastructure to commercialize electric cars in India isn’t ready and a release was not planned anytime soon.

Read about the Chevrolet Beat EV for the Indian market

GM then showed a production model in America, redesigning parts of the car to meet safety standards for a 2013 release. General Motors could adopt a similar design direction on the petroleum-fueled Beat facelift that usually arrives 3-4 years into the model’s life.

Recently GM furnished information on the motive force of this urban runabout GM bets big on, not only in America but globally. It will be assembled using kits flown in from Korea at their facility situated in the state of Maryland.

The Beat EV generates 116PS, compared to the measly 60hp produced by the test mule that visited India. The Indian mule used the Volt’s battery pack that produced 20 kWH providing the Beat a range of 130 km under normal driving conditions. It takes about 8 hours to reach full charge from a 240V power socket. GM has not provided details on the range after this massive power increase.

American customers use powerful cars, giving performance precedence over fuel economy, viewed as the reason behind the power bump.

The Beat will be the smallest Chevrolet to be assembled in America by displacing the Sonic hatch.

Chevrolet Beat EV Images

[Thanks to John Voelcker from GreenCarReports.com for his inputs!]

As one can see, there are not many startling changes. The front fascia now features a polygon with a wide grill. This design trait we saw on the first on the Chevy Sonic and then on the new Captiva. Two chrome ducts on each side of the front bumper to integrate foglamps add a sporty touch to the front. The alloy wheel design is the most eye catching facet of the facelift. A rear spoiler along with some LED tail lamps also make it to the facelift.

The interiors have also received tiny touches. A new LCD screen and optional cruise control makes it to the new model. The overall interior quality has also been worked upon. New 1.2L ecotec engines will power this Beat. On the occasion, Chevy also confirmed that it will be launching the Beat EV, which was designed and developed by their Bengaluru research center, in the States.

Of course, this event was held in the US and thus was more US centric than India centric. The redesigned front-end could well be to meet pedestrian safety standards that are less stringent or absent in APAC region.

Considering Chevy USA plans to launch the new Beat in the US by 2013, there is a strong possibility that Chevy India will also the update the Beat in 2013.

[Source - GreenCarReports.com]

Codenamed as the (BEV), the Beat EV adopts a battery pack from the Chevy Volt. It is a 300 cell lithium-ion battery weighing 270kg and possesses an energy capacity of approximately 20 kWh.

The actual drive to the wheels is delivered by a single speed drive unit and an electric motor producing about 45kW of power.

It has a range of 130 kms under normal driving conditions. However, it takes 8 hours to be charged from a 240V outlet. But the good news is that the Beat’s battery pack is liquid cooled so it can operate smoothly between temperatures ranging from -20 degrees to 45 degrees.

Overall, it was a supreme effort from Chevy to give Indian families a practical EV, but sadly it will not be commercialized.

GM India is finally opening up to the reasons for not launching a fully functioning product and the main cause – the infrastructural bottlenecks in India, specifically power.

GM believes that a product like the Beat EV doesn’t make sense for India because the existing power supply is itself inadequate to meet the domestic needs. It would be very difficult to get additional power for recharging the car battery. Point to be noted is that Reva (another electric car from India) is popular in the UK but hardly sells in India.

The Beat EV will definitely be sold in the international markets. Considering GM America has officially announced that the Beat will be launched in the US in 2013, there is a very fat chance that the Beat EV will also be launched in US.

There are equations showing that petrol is the better option for vehicles used largely for short commutes, but customers predict repeated hikes in petrol prices over the next three years will play into the advantage of diesel.

General Motors India launched the much-awaited diesel powered Chevrolet Beat last week and the response has been brisk. As the vehicle continues to be launched in many parts of India, GM predicts the Beat brand will have 7,500 takers every month.

GM has to bring in the Sail twins and fit them with Fiat Multi-jet engines. Though the Sails will not arrive in the next five months, an Auto Expo unveiling is a good possibility. These cars along with vans and mini trucks from a new commercial vehicle division will accelerate numbers for GM which plans to reach 300,000 units annually from 100,000 presently in the next few years.

• Beat Diesel, GM claims, is the biggest step for the company
• Knowledge gained from European diesel cars applied on the Beat diesel as Europe is the home of diesel cars
• Beat D is PERFECT; P- Performance – class leading power per litre and torque; E- EPS; R- Refinement – Suspension etc; F & E – Fuel Economy; C – Cost of ownership; T – Technology
• Jingle used on the advertisement – DRIVE KHULKE
• 3 year/1 lac kilometer warranty
• Chevy promise to refund money if cost of ownership goes beyond Chevy’s predicted maintenance cost
• PS TDCI – 4.29 Lac Ex Delhi only power steering and AC; LS – 4.59L; LT – 4.99 L; LT with optional pack (ABS EBD) – 5.45 L
• Chevy did not de-spec the diesel model like the competition does
• Bookings started a week back and deliveries commenced yesterday

Chevrolet Beat diesel Image Gallery

Chevrolet Beat Diesel XSDE SMARTECH engine technical details

Chevrolet Beat diesel price (ex-showroom New Delhi) -

PS – 4.29 lakh
LS – 4.59 lakh
LT – 4.99 lakh
LT optional (ABS, Airbags and Alloys) – 5.45 lakh

The Chevrolet Beat diesel is powered by a 1-liter XSDE SMARTECH diesel engine equipped with a fixed geometry turbocharger,  vacuum operated wastegate and insta torque boost technology. This is the smallest diesel engine in the world in mass production with a service interval of 15k kilometers. It produces 62.5PS/liter of power, 160.26Nm/liter of torque and returns a mileage of 24kmpl (iCAT approved).

Other features of the Beat diesel include Pro-Vario Assist Featherlite Electronic Power Steering which provides variable assistance above 40kmph. The Beat diesel is further equipped with a gas charged, rebound tuned suspension specially for Indian driving conditions, Intelligent launch support system which helps in launching in inclined surfaces, SMART engine and clutch protection mode which increases fuel efficiency and clutch wear.

The diesel Beat is offered in three variants PS, LS and LT. The LT trim is fully loaded but ABS, Airbags and Alloy wheels are optional.

Chevrolet Beat diesel Brochure

Chevrolet Beat diesel technical specifications

Dimension (mm)

Length 3640
Width 1595
Height 1520
Wheelbase 2375
Ground Clearance (mm) 175
Kerb Weight (kg) 1027

Engine

No of Cylinders 3
Displacement (cm3) 936
Power/Litre (PS/L) 62.50
Torque/Litre (Nm/L) 160.26

Suspension

Front McPherson Strut type with Anti-roll Bar
Rear Compound Crank Type
Shock absorbers (front and rear) Gas filled

Brakes

Front Disc
Rear Drum
Wheel 14 x 4.5J Steel / (Alloy# on LT Option)
Tyre 165/65 R14 Tubeless

Chevrolet Beat Diesel Image Gallery

• Advanced engine design, engineering & packaging.
• Combination of features and engine components package that provides improved performance.
• Significant improvement in NVH characteristics of the engine leading to more comfortable driving experience.
• Smart engine design and technology that provides optimum fuel efficiency in varied driving conditions.
• Higher low end torque delivery for improved driving experience in stop and go traffic conditions.
• Rigorously tested & proven in extreme Indian road and climatic conditions.

India is the first and perhaps the only market where the Beat (known as Spark in Europe and the UK) will be sold with a diesel engine. The turbocharged CRDI 3cyl 1.0L (936 cc to be precise) engine produces produces 57 bhp of power and 150Nm of torque.

The new compact engine will also be the peak torque leader for its displacement in the Indian market (140 Nm @ 1,750 rpm) and low-end peak torque leader for its displacement worldwide at 100 Nm @ 1,250 rpm.

GM Torino and GM India Engineering collaborated to design this engine. It features an iron block, aluminum DOHC cylinder head, lifetime maintenance-free timing chain, centrifugal blowby separator filter for lower oil consumption, low-noise timing gears, a balancer shaft for better NVH and a precisely sized waste-gated turbocharger.

The Beat diesel features an electric power steering which we hear will be adopted on the petrol model as well. The Beat diesel will be offered in the same variants (PS, LS and LT) with the same equipment levels. Can the diesel Beat sit between 4.19-5.19 lakh rupees?

Stay tuned as IAB brings you all the details from ground zero.