With the sales figures not meeting the expected target for Chevrolet in the past couple of years, company has decided to launch new cars and revamp the existing ones to give fresh lease of life to its down sliding business in the country. With only a few thousand units selling each month with sales figures majorly backed by Beat hatch and Tavera, other Chevrolet models such as Sail sedan and hatch, Enjoy, Cruze and Captiva are witnessing steep decline. Chevrolet which is wholly owned subsidiary of automobile honcho General Motor Corp, will be adding some more products in the Indian line-up in 2015-16. Here is the list.
Chevrolet Spin
Chevrolet and General Motors together announced the arrival of its new MPV named Spin by next year in the recent Bangkok dealers meet. The MPV will be completely different and unique compared to Tavera. It will feature a larger wheelbase than Enjoy and will be a seven seater, offering three rows of spacious seats. The MPV will be powered by a 1.3 litre diesel engine churning out power of 88bhp. The MPV is expected in its petrol version as well. Spin MPV will compete with the likes of Honda Mobilio and Maruti Suzuki Ertiga.
Chevrolet Trailblazer
At the same event, the American carmaker also announced the entry of the upcoming SUV Trailblazer in the Indian market. The SUV will be offered in both two and four wheel drive options. Under the hood, it will be equipped with 2.5 litre engine that churns out 148bhp and a 2.8 litre engine generating 180bhp. Chevrolet Trailblazer will compete with Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner.
Chevrolet Compact SUV Adra
The Adra was first showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo last year. The compact SUV will be offered in 1.2 litre Ecotec and 1.3 litre diesel engine options. Designed with sporty looks and tough exteriors, the car will feature Chevrolet’s signature front grille with chrome accents, flat roof, five spoke alloy wheels and exclusive greenhouse. Adra will lock horns with Ford EcoSport and Renault Duster in the respective segment.
Chevrolet Cruze
The company has plans to bring in facelifted version of Cruze in India while the next gen version of the car is already available globally. The facelifted model will feature Impala inspired designing with refreshed bumper, dual port design grille and daytime running lights fitted in l-shaped chrome housing. The tail and head lamps have been revamped too. The car will also receive new set of alloys, new body paints and interior trims. The new Cruze will be up against recently upgraded Volkswagen Jetta, Toyota Corolla Altis, Skoda Octavia, Hyundai Elantra and Renault Fluence.
Chevrolet Compact Sedan
Rumored to be based on the Beat hatchback frame, the company will be pitching in a new compact sedan. Maruti Suzuki, Honda and Hyundai have already worked on the same model i.e. creating an alter-ego vehicle, now its Chevrolet's turn to apply the same. The model which has been codenamed MCM will be one more addition in ever growing and crowded compact sedan segment. The vehicle is expected to carry a 1.3 litre diesel and 1.2 litre petrol engine. Talks of the diesel engine being sourced from Fiat's MultiJet wagon are also high. The compact sedan will have a larger wheelbase than the hatch and might feature sharper looks and sportier style than the hatch.
With quite a few interesting new entrants and some facelifted versions of its existing cars in the line-up, Chevrolet has serious plans for an aggressive comeback. Last when the company had seen good sales was with the launch of Beat and Tavera while the other models lost their charm mid-way, thus not adding an impressive fortune to the company’s portfolio. Here’s hoping that the company grabs back its position in the Indian market.
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