Hard To 'BEAT' Chevrolet Beat Diesel!

Petrol is a costly affair for many of us, especially for small car buyers, who often go for possible alternatives like CNG or LPG for their petrol motors to keep the running costs low. With the rocketing fuel prices, people prefer diesel powered car rather than their petrol rivals. The recent trend in the slow sales of petrol cars, especially in the small car segment, is a testimony to that fact.

But other than a few, there is hardly any diesel offering in the A-segment in our vast market. Keeping this in mind, GM India, as already revealed, is to launch the diesel-powered Chevrolet Beat within the end of July. This will mark the entry of first diesel in its class, which could give Chevy a first-mover advantage in the A-segment which forms the bulk of the market.

The Beat Diesel will be the much-acclaimed 936cc 3-cylinder engine, the first of its kind and the first diesel under one litre in the Indian market. It produces a respectable 58.5bhp and 15.29kgm of torque at 1750rpm which in a compact hatch promises sprightly performance. But our ultimate question will be about its fuel efficiency.

According to the official Indian Driving Cycle figure, the Beat Diesel gives 23.99kpl which is about one kpl behind the Tata lndica eV2. However, it may differ positively in real driving conditions. Anyway, the Beat Diesel is nothing but has everything to be a winner. Its entry could bring a notable change in the sales record of the small cars.