[erohit]

I think they should have priced it lower by 15-20K to storm the market. With this price it won't be a stealer !! It is definitely VFM but why would the customer not spend 20K-25K more to get Figo which has more space and boot. Space is one of the significant criteria among us and there is hardly any car which is successful and is cramped except the cheapest Alto. Even A-star is dud due to space. Though Figo is 2002-2003 model but who cares about it in India. Ford intelligently got the previous generation car and dumped to India as brand new car. The best thing they did it priced it sensibly and got the VFM tag.

I think with Beat won't be able to set the sales chart on fire. I expect 4000-5000 sales per month (Petrol + diesel) intially and then it will settle between 3500-4500 per month.

I wish GM would prove me wrong..

[SkyWalker]

It will sell well, but i would have hoped they had started at the pricing at 4.0L for the diesel. Its still VFM, no doubt - but not the kind of deal that Figo D was when it was released.

[pareshraheja]

Originally Posted by abhi1309

You mean the new 2010 European Palio right? Cause there is something called is 'End of Life' for every product , be it a cellphone, car or software. The Palio we know is way past that time and it is also a Fiat.

Beat should succeed, but they can't beat the Hyundai and Marutis cause they have dealerships at places where people don't know what is GM/Chevrolet. They can't really do much about it but put dealerships but Maruti has almost 900, GM just has 250. I know my cousins in MP, they only know Hyundai and Maruti and Tata for obvious reasons. No one even thinks about considering anything else cause they havent seen any dealerships other than these. So count that factor as well.

Should be a decent success where it matters the most.

Abhi,

I guess the Palio Multijet is still a competent car when compared to the current competition. I have owned one for the last three years and clocked close to 60 K on it. The shear driving pleasure and comfort coupled with the good fuel efficiency is unparalleled to current swift or the figo.

My uncle owns a Swift VDI (non ABS) and once in a while we just exchange our cars for fun. Each time we shift back, he always leaves a word of appreciation in terms of the brakes being better, the car being more comfy with respect to long drives, etc.

At the same time, I do agree that the Palio has it's fair share of issues but, these are something that FIAT could have rectified keeping the old platform.

As to why FIAT has not done it is totally a different story. As per feedback from my sources, the reason why FIAT killed the Palio was more to do with the survival and sales of the Vista rather than the shelf life of the Palio coming to an end.

I guess we all agree that the Polo from VW is a real performance oriented car with superb built quality and has set the bench mark in the premium hatch segment. If you agree, you should definitively read this comparo posted by BS motoring on the Palio GTX vs the Polo 1.6.

Battle of the hot hatches - Heat this!

What I am just trying to drive here is that the Palio is still very good in comparison to the present competition even though it is an old platform.

I still hope and wish that they are able to relaunch the current Palio

Cheers

Paresh Raheja
Black Beast aka stile MJD
Mobile House aka Sienna Weekend

[zulfi hansi]

They are just pushing their luck, but not stupid like Ford, pricing is OK, more in tune to gauge the market response and dump some discounts just in case needed by year end. Had they priced it lower there would be no room for the 'discounts', which GM is very used to as their marketing style.

[Furebo]

@GTO

Great review, As always!

But can you please include your take on the pricing in the review. It will Immensely help in analysis for potential buyers.

Thanks

[Equus]

Originally Posted by Furebo

@GTO

Great review, As always!

But can you please include your take on the pricing in the review. It will Immensely help in analysis for potential buyers.

Thanks

Hasnt he already done that?

The base variant (1.0) is THE CHEAPEST diesel in the country as the Indica eV2 with PS is costlier than this!!!

[Joy]

Just read in today's newspaper "The Telegraph", this pricing is introductory.

Here is the full story, Diesel Beat price gamble

General Motors India is likely to increase the price of the diesel version of Chevrolet Beat after two months to offset the rise in input costs.

At Rs 4.29 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the entry-level Beat diesel has been priced lower than its rivals to gain initial market share.

The 1.3-litre diesel Maruti Suzuki Swift — the best-selling car in the segment — is priced at Rs 4.99 lakh. Ford Figo’s 1.4-litre diesel version starts at Rs 4.60 lakh, while the 1.3-litre Fiat Punto diesel starts at Rs 5.18 lakh.

Maruti’s another hatchback — the Ritz — has a 1.3-litre diesel model priced at Rs 4.86 lakh onwards.

“We will hold the introductory price on the Beat diesel for the next 60 days, after which factors such as increased commodity pricing may come into play, which we may not be able to mitigate,” said Karl Slym, president and managing director of General Motors India.

GM India expects to sell 4,000-5,000 units of the diesel variant of the Beat per month. The company sells 2,700-3,000 Beats every month, including the petrol and LPG versions.

On the 1-litre diesel engine used in the Beat, Slym said, “This is the smallest diesel engine-powered passenger car for GM globally.” The company may consider launching a diesel Spark having the same engine but with some modifications, Slym added.

GM also plans to export the diesel engine to Europe after meeting the demand in India.

[RavenAvi]

Some pointers from the Beat diesel press conference -

• Beat Diesel, GM claims, is the biggest step for the company
• Knowledge gained from European diesel cars applied on the Beat diesel as Europe is the home of diesel cars
• Beat D is PERFECT; P- Performance – class leading power per litre and torque; E- EPS; R- Refinement – Suspension etc; F & E – Fuel Economy; C – Cost of ownership; T – Technology
• Jingle used on the advertisement – DRIVE KHULKE
• 3 year/1 lac kilometer warranty
• Chevy promise to refund money if cost of ownership goes beyond Chevy’s predicted maintenance cost
• PS TDCI – 4.29 Lac Ex Delhi only power steering and AC; LS – 4.59L; LT – 4.99 L; LT with optional pack (ABS EBD) – 5.45 L
• Chevy did not de-spec the diesel model like the competition does
• Bookings started a week back and deliveries commenced yesterday.

SOURCE - IAB (Chevrolet Beat Diesel - New details emerge)

[Skyline GT-R]

Many people have already started asking me if i felt foolish buying a Figo couple of months back now that BeatD is launched with "more mileage"

I wish they knew that i did a Kochi-Hampi-Kochi drive with 5 adults + 1 kid & their luggage over the last weekend which would be impossible in a Beat.

FE during the trip was 17.9 (errors due to auto cut off tankful-tankful method to be considered)

[man_and_machine]

Test drove one on last Saturday (looking for a small car for wifey :-) ).

My take:

1. Both me and my wife are tall, the car is not for us :-(
2. Engine is refined, has a small hum to remind you that its a diesel, but that is all, you will not notice that its a diesel
3. Good low end torque, beyond 4K RPM, there is no increase in power, just more noise, the car does not respond
4. Boat like feeling at 100 km/h
5. Sound quality is average
6. AC is noisy
7. Seats are comfortable
8. I could not find a comfortable driving position
9. No electrically adjustable mirrors ( I drove the top end model)
10. Wide range of colors
11. Steering in very light and at low speeds very city friendly, at speeds above 80 the feedback is average
12. Rear space average (if you are a tall family then its not for 4 )
13. The engine does not feel like its < 1000 cc. Very responsive for city driving

My decision: Is a no go. Looking for alternatives.

[HammerHead]

IMO, There is no comparison between Beat D and Figo D. Figo can do much more then Beat however for a pure city driving point of view, Beat makes more sense then Figo.

[abhi1309]

Originally Posted by Skyline GT-R

Many people have already started asking me if i felt foolish buying a Figo couple of months back now that BeatD is launched with "more mileage"

I wish they knew that i did a Kochi-Hampi-Kochi drive with 5 adults + 1 kid & their luggage over the last weekend which would be impossible in a Beat.

FE during the trip was 17.9 (errors due to auto cut off tankful-tankful method to be considered)

Totally get that as a fellow Figo owner. Beat is great in its own place. Figo lot better for a little more, practicality wise. Crazy handling and fantastic low end torque is bonus...

[sallubhai]

Looking for a diesel hatch with ABS and Airbag (Front 2), options were Vista, Punto, Figo, Beat and Swift (yet to launch). After the launch of Beat D: Price of LT with option pack 6.06 lac on road in Kolkata, where as Figo Titanium after discount 6.03 lac on road. Vista Aura + on road price after discount is near 6.40 lac (think I will be able to get another 6-8 thousand discount in Vista).

I am on the taller side, need a moderate size boot space and my highway and city drive are equal. I personally feel that the price of Beat D LT with option pack is on the higher side. Punto is a very nice car, but worried about the service from TATA.

Have booked Swift ZDI, waiting for the price. Any word of advice guys.

P.S.: There is no mention of Airbag / Dash price of all the cars, in any thread (I searched a lot!), if there is need for replacement after a collision. Please share regarding the prices, if it is known to anybody, thanks

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by sallubhai

Looking for a diesel hatch with ABS and Airbag (Front 2), options were Vista, Punto, Figo, Beat and Swift (yet to launch). After the launch of Beat D: Price of LT with option pack 6.06 lac on road in Kolkata, where as Figo Titanium after discount 6.03 lac on road. Vista Aura + on road price after discount is near 6.40 lac (think I will be able to get another 6-8 thousand discount in Vista).

I am on the taller side, need a moderate size boot space and my highway and city drive are equal. I personally feel that the price of Beat D LT with option pack is on the higher side. Punto is a very nice car, but worried about the service from TATA.

Have booked Swift ZDI, waiting for the price. Any word of advice guys.

P.S.: There is no mention of Airbag / Dash price of all the cars, in any thread (I searched a lot!), if there is need for replacement after a collision. Please share regarding the prices, if it is known to anybody, thanks

Decide between Figo and Vista for your tastes. Both are feature packed and value for money. I don't see the Beat fitting your needs too well. The Punto is not as comfortable as the Vista for taller people (if all from your daily "passenger list" are on taller side, this is a point to be considered.)
Don't worry about the A$$ too much, most of it is a myth (be it Tata being poor or Maruti being too good.)

[bigvishnu]

At Bangalore, below are the prices:


BEAT 1.0 BASE TCDI N. MET 521,289
BEAT 1.0 BASE TCDI MET 527,989
BEAT 1.0 LS TCDI N. MET 557,667
BEAT 1.0 LS TCDI MET 564,368
BEAT 1.0 LT TCDI N.MET 611,001
BEAT 1.0 LT TCDI MET 617,766
BEAT 1.0 LTO TCDI N. MET 666,386
BEAT 1.0 LTO TCDI MET 673,150


am disappointed, the prices are not as exciting and aggressive as i would have liked!