General Motors launched the Chevrolet Sail hatchback and sedan in India last year and both the vehicles have performed well below expectations. It is clear that most buyers prefer the service given by Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda and Toyota over Chevrolet and this has been a major downside for the Sail which is not at all a bad vehicle. Chevrolet’s marketing strategy also hasn’t been too impressive and this is also a major reason why the Sail failed to pick up decent sales.
Now a facelift of the Chevrolet Sail has been sighted in China. The test mule has thick camouflage but it is easy to make out that it is the Sail going by the overall body line. The front features a redesigned grille which is a tad larger than the current grille, a larger air intake accompanied by a new front bumper. The only two significant changes at the side are the new C-pillar which have been redesigned to add a new quarter window and new rear view mirrors. Moving to the rear, it is difficult to make out any changes but we are expecting a new bumper and refreshed tail lights.
The Chevrolet Sail has very basic interiors, so the company will add a new instrument panel and a multi-function steering wheel in the facelift. Chevrolet has also freed up a bit more space and the seats will have better quality fabrics. The 2014 Chevrolet Sail will also feature alloy wheels which will have a new design. Currently the Sail is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine producing 85 BHP of power and a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine producing 77 BHP of power. It is unlikely that Chevrolet would make any changes to the existing mechanicals but there is a possibility of the facelift version getting a new 1.5-litre Excelle petrol engine which will be more powerful.
The Chevrolet Sail is priced between Rs. 5.12 – 7.65 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi) and the facelift would be launched in mid-2014. This will be a good move to generate more sales but Chevrolet should also focus on adding some more goodies as well as improvising a bit on their after-sales service. The Sail is a really good car but loses out to the Maruti Swift DZire and Honda Amaze due to the fact that these two vehicles come with the famed Japanese reliability and are backed by companies offering excellent service.
Source – Auto.163.com