Chevrolet Essentia
Chevrolet EssentiaChevrolet

General Motors India unveiled the Chevrolet Beat Activ and Essentia compact sedan concepts at Auto Expo 2016. Both the vehicles are based on the next generation Beat hatchback, which is expected in India by the end of 2016. The latest reports indicate the Chevrolet is working on the production-spec Essentia.

A report in MotorOctane indicates the American company will launch the Essentia in 2017. Chevrolet claims the Essentia is designed specifically to suit the taste of the Indian consumer. These cars were designed in the GM Korea Design Studio. The front fascia of the compact sedan gets split grille with a bowtie logo. The grille is flanked by swept back smoked headlamps. The side profile is similar to the Beat up to the C-pillar, while the rear gets a small boot. The boot is well integrated into car and is cohesive to the overall design.

The interior of the compact sedan comes with two-tone upholstery. The vehicle gets three-spoke steering wheel similar to the Beat. The Essentia will be powered by a 1.2-litre STEC II engine that is good for 77bhp and 107Nm and the diesel mill will be a 1.0-litre XSDE unit 56bhp and 142.5Nm. Both the engines will be mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

Chevrolet Beat Essentia will compete against the Maruti Suzuki Swift DZire, Ford Figo Aspire, Hyundai Xcent, Honda Amaze and Tata Zest. In Chevrolet India's stable, the Essantia will receive the baton from the Sail sedan, which failed to attract many buyers.