A leaked memo from Chevrolet to its dealers has indicated that the new Chevrolet Beat will make its debut in India in July. This is the next generation Beat hatchback for India and was showcased in a crossover and a compact sedan form at the 2016 Auto Expo. The hatchback was then revealed as a part of the company’s future plans for India.
Firstly, the memo indicates that this new Beat will be called the Intelli Beat. The major change here is a new face which has been derived from the international spec, Chevrolet Spark, the automaker’s smallest vehicle on sale. The side and rear profile remain largely unchanged from the current car and this is not such a bad thing as the design is quite unique and modern looking. Judging by what we saw in the Essentia, this new Beat is expected to get a touchscreen infotainment system (Chevrolet MyLink 2) with support for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The cabin is expected to be a two-tone silver and black affair.
This Beat will retain the current car’s M300 platform in a bid to keeps costs down. This means it will also continue with the 1.2-litre petrol mill and the 1.0-litre three-cylinder diesel engine. Both these can be had only with a five-speed manual.
The Chevrolet Beat is an entry-level B-segment hatchback and will take on the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Celerio, Tata Tiago and the Tata Tigor as well as the next generation Hyundai Santro which will debut in 2018. This Beat hatchback will be joined by the Essentia compact sedan and Activ crossover, both based on the same platform. This indicates that the automaker is playing for volumes rather than depending on a single model to get numbers.
