Chevrolet will be entering the compact sedan segment by launching a notchback based on the next generation Chevrolet Beat (Spark globally) and the sub-4 metre sedan will launch in India in 2017.
Started by the Tata Indigo CS a few years back, the compact sedan segment in India is now one of the most competitive segments where every car manufacturer is trying to get on top. The Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire is the segment king at present and it is followed by the Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze, Tata Zest and soon the Ford Figo Aspire, making up all the products in the compact sedan space in India. The segment comprises of a large proportion of the country’s total car sales and car makers who do not have a product in this segment are considering to enter the same very soon.
One such car maker is Chevrolet. The American car maker has been struggling in the Indian car market for a very long time now and has finally decided to play seriously by investing $1 billion (Rs. 6413 crores) and launching 10 new models by 2020. One of these models will be a compact sedan that will be based on the new generation Beat (Spark in international markets), which is also yet to be launched in the country. The compact sedan will be sold alongside the hatchback and will be tailored specifically for the Indian market. It is expected to make its debut in the first half of 2017.
The compact sedan will draw power from the same engines that will do duty on the hatchback as well, i.e., a new 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and a 1.0-litre three-cylinder diesel mill. Given that the current generation Beat is very fuel efficient, the same is also expected from the upcoming models as well and the higher trims of the compact sedan may even get an automatic transmission, given that popularity of automatic gearboxes is on the rise in India. With the planned investment, localisation levels will also be very high, thereby enabling Chevrolet to price the upcoming compact sedan competitively.
