Chevrolet Beat-based compact sedan coming to the 2016 Auto Expo

Content

General Motors will unveil a compact sedan at the upcoming Auto Expo 2016. The new sub-four metre car is based on the new Chevrolet Beat hatchback and is reportedly expected to be named Beat Essentia.

According to reports, General Motors India has been working on this compact sedan since 2013 and the production version will be showcased at the Expo in a few days. The Beat Essentia is codenamed MCM and will be based on the new-generation Beat's M300 platform. Cosmetically, it will borrow styling traits from the next-gen Beat, which is yet to be unveiled for the Indian market. Specific details are not known yet, but both these cars are expected to share components.

The Beat Essentia will be offered in both petrol and diesel variants, with powertrains borrowed from the current Beat hatchback. The petrol version is powered by a 1,199cc four-cylinder mill that produces 77bhp of power and 106.5Nm of torque. The oil-burner gets a 936cc three-cylinder unit that churns out 56bhp of power and 124.5Nm of torque. Both the engines will come mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

The Beat Essentia compact sedan is expected to be launched in India only by next year with the Chevrolet Spin. We can expect a competitive pricing for the sedan considering the sub-four metre model to avail excise duty reduction for small cars. It will primarily compete with the upcoming Tata Zica-based Sway compact sedan and also go up against segment leaders like the Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and the Figo Aspire.