General Motors India has launched the Chevrolet Sail saloon with a very aggressive starting price of Rs 4.99 lakh for the base petrol model. The tepid response to the Chevrolet U-VA late last year has led Chevrolet to revisit their strategy when it comes to pricing its products. The competitive starting price of the Sail saloon has left even the dealers surprised, as this is just about Rs 60,000 more than that of the hatch variant.
While petrol variants are priced from Rs 4.99 - 6.41 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the diesel variants are on offer from Rs 6.29 - 7.51 lakh. This puts the Sail saloon right in the epicenter of the ultra-competitive territory of entry-level sedans. The Sail saloon is powered by a 79bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine and a 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced diesel motor. The diesel motor comes mated to the F17 gearbox with ratios tuned specifically for India.
The company’s claimed fuel efficiency figures are 18.2kpl for the petrol and 22.1kpl for the diesel motor. The base trim comes with power steering, front power windows, electric folding wing mirrors, tilt steering, a digital tachometer, engine immobilizer and a 12V power outlet. ABS and EBD come standard on all trims.
While styling may not be radical, the Sail saloon is quite pleasing to look at. The split grille with the bowtie emblem links the new saloon to the rest of the Chevy range. The car looks quite smart from the rear, thanks to its near-vertical tail section. Available in seven colour options, the Sail saloon will come with a 3 year/1, 00,000km warranty and 5 year/50,000km warranty on the powertrain. Chevrolet has no plans to launch an automatic variant anytime soon.
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