Chevrolet is working on developing a sedan version of the Beat, alongside the next-gen hatchback. The next-gen Beat for the Indian market is expected to be a heavily reworked version of the current car, and not the all-new Spark that was unveiled earlier this year.
GM India ruled out the all-new car for the domestic market citing cost issues with bringing the car into production. A company official said that the all-new Spark, that made its debut internationally earlier this year, was a product for developed markets only and wouldn't do well in a cost-sensitive market such as India.
The Beat compact sedan, currently under development, is expected to share much of its styling details with the next-gen Indian Beat, and will be under four-metres in length. Both the Beat siblings are also expected to share components with the Spark for the international markets, though specific details are unknown.
Under the hood, the all-new compact sedan is expected to be powered by a family of 1.0-litre three-cylinder diesel and petrol engines, which will also power the hatchback. The three-cylinder diesel engine is unique to the Indian market, and the new three-cylinder petrol engine is essentially a downsized version of the 1.4-litre four-cylinder Ecotech motor from the new Spark.
Like its hatchback counterpart, the all-new Beat compact sedan too is expected to make its debut sometime in 2017.
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