Next-generation Chevrolet Beat spotted testing

The Chevrolet Beat is one of the company’s best-selling cars in India and in Europe. It has been selling in many parts of the world since 2009, either as Spark or Beat. The 2015 Beat has been previously spotted undergoing cold weather testing in Europe and now a new batch of images of the car being tested in Korea has emerged.

The new Beat will be based on a new platform which will also be shared with a new four-door Opel hatchback. The new underpinnings have made the car grow in dimension which translates into more space for the passengers. Though the side profile resembles the current car, the new Beat sports a grown up design and has lost much of its funky appeal. 

The front houses a new grille and sleeker headlamps, while the rear gets redesigned tail lamps, though it is still stacked vertically. The new car gets a rearward sloping roofline and a high sweeping beltline like the current model with a bigger rear window as compared to the current model. The door handles have been moved from the back of the window to a more conventional position.

In India, the Beat is offered with a 1.2-litre petrol or a 1.0-litre diesel engine, with the petrol also getting the option of an LPG kit. The petrol pumps out 80bhp and 104Nm of torque and the three-cylinder diesel produces 58bhp and 150Nm of torque, both mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. In some international markets, Chevrolet also sells Beat electric vehicles, called Spark EV.

Chevrolet had recently announced that the company will start exporting the Beat hatchback to the Latin America. With sales of its cars steadily declining, the American manufacturer took this step in order to utilise the idle capacity at its Talegaon facility. With an international launch expected in mid-2015, the Chevrolet Beat will arrive in India by the second half of next year.