General Motors is contemplating the development of a sedan version of the Beat. The American automaker will be launching the Sail sedan later this year, which will replace the Aveo. However, GM also wants to offer a small sub 4-meter sedan, positioned right below the Sail. Thus the company is thinking of adding a boot the Beat. Currently a decision hasn’t been taken and talks are still in primary stage. If it goes through, then the Beat sedan would go head to head with the Tata Indigo CS and upcoming Mahindra Vertio CS and Maruti A-Star sedan.
Chevrolet engineers need to heavily modify the front of the Beat sedan, otherwise it will look like a very shabby job. Power will certainly come in from a 1.2-liter petrol and 1.0-liter diesel engines, which will help the Beat sedan classify as a small car, giving it lower excise duty benefit. The 1199cc petrol engine produces 82 BHP of power at 6400 RPM and 108 Nm of torque at 4400 RPM. The 936cc, 3-cylinder diesel engine produces 57 BHP of power at 4000 RPM and 150 Nm of torque at 1750 RPM. Both these engines are mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
Companies are always testing new products and contemplating new ideas so until we hear anything official from GM regarding the Beat sedan, it is best we don’t wait for it. If launched the Chevrolet Beat sedan would be priced between Rs. 4.5-6.5 lakhs and will offer very good fuel efficiency. But don’t expect the boot to be any bigger than 300-liter even though the current length of the Beat (3640 mm) gives engineers alot to play with. Stretched wheelbase will result in boosting the poor rear legroom of the Beat hatchback, making the Beat sedan extremely practical for 4 people to travel in.
