If it were not for the NGT rule, I would have kept the car for 5 more years.

BHPian myavu recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

After 15 long years and 1,26,321 KMs together, I finally bid adieu to my lovely Beaty.

Some final clicks

I had good offers above 90K from known people but was not sure about their intention to re-register the car in their native states (deep Haryana and deep UP). Cars24 offered 69K, and in hand, 65K. After lots of deliberation, I decided to scrap my beautiful, functional, and mechanically sound car. Got 32K instantly. With other offers from car manufacturers and the state, it will eventually be more than 80K.

Total cost of ownership

Other interesting facts

• Upgraded tyres 175/65/R14 lasted 93590 KMs and as per Cars24 report, 30% of life is still remaining.
• Spare tyre never used, never removed and is brand new till date.
• Total number of Punctures - 13 (all flat Tyres while parked)
• Headlight Bulbs - 3rd set running
• Parking Bulbs - 5th set running
• Fog Lamp - Front left changed once
• All other illumination and bulbs are factory stock including rear number plate bulbs, unbelievable!
• Front wiper - Changed twice
• Rear wiper - Changed once
• Clutch, pressure plate and flywheel - Changed once
• Front struts and rear shock absorbers - Changed Once
• Front Disc - Changed Once
• Front Brake Pads - Changed twice
• Rear Brake pads - Changed Once
• Front right and left wheel bearing - Changed Once
• AC Cooling coil, Compressor and Condenser - Changed Once
• Front Bumper - changed twice in the first 6 months (entry gate scrape and tear)
• Highest Mileage - 17.5 kmpl
• Lowest Mileage - 8 kmpl
• Petrol cost / liter - Min 49 Max 108
• Major breakdowns - Nil
• Minor breakdown - Once (near to the home, coolant tank nipple broken)
• Battery - On 4th over and above stock

Beautiful sunset behind us

If not for the NGT, we would have been together for 5 more years. Dear Beaty, 'Rest in Pieces.'

One younger American is gone now, and the other elder one will give me company for some time until another one joins him in the stable. Who will it be? Let the chase begin.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

BHPian stuntfreak has modified his Chevrolet Beat into an electric car.

The car is fitted with a 15 kW electric motor and uses the standard manual transmission that came with the diesel engine. The electric motor is said to produce a peak torque of 75 Nm and a continuous torque of 26 Nm.

The transmission has been modified such that it only has the first and second gears. Rest of the gears have been removed and replaced with light weight blank sleeves. The clutch has also been removed. The Motor Control Unit (MCU) has been programmed to match the motor rpm to the input shaft rpm. The owner claims that the car can cruise at 100 km/h.

The electric motor draws power from a 15 kW battery pack. It is placed under the seat in place of the fuel tank and in the boot in place of the spare wheel. The car is claimed to have a range of 115 km (without AC and light) and 95 km with the AC and lights switched on. It takes 6 hours to recharge the battery at home and just 45 minutes with a fast charger.

Thanks to BHPian stuntfreak for sharing this with other enthusiasts!

The 2017 Chevrolet Beat facelift will be launched in India in the third week of July 2017. This information has surfaced through a leaked memo that has been sent by the company to its authorized retail partners. This leak also rubbishes earlier rumours that speculated Chevrolet's exit from the Indian market.

The Beat facelift has already been spotted without any camouflage. Up front, the updated hatchback will get new swept-back headlamps, a slim grille with the bow-tie logo in the centre and a new bumper, while the side profile will remain largely unchanged. The rear end features a repositioned number plate housing in the bumper, a new tail gate and slightly larger tail lamps. Dual tone interiors are expected for the cabin, with an addition of Chevrolet MyLink2 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

No mechanical changes are expected on the new 2017 Beat. As a result, it will likely be powered by the existing set of engines - a 1.0-litre diesel rated at 57 BHP and 143 Nm and a 1.2-litre petrol that churns out 77 BHP and 107 Nm. A 5-speed manual is the only transmission option expected to be on offer.

Source: IAB

Chevrolet is expected to launch the 2017 Beat facelift in the coming months. Ahead of the car's official introduction, the Beat facelift has been spotted without any camouflage, revealing few details about the car's exterior and interior design. The facelift gets a revised front and rear fascia, while the interiors too get some subtle changes and feature additions.

The Beat facelift's front fascia comes with new swept-back headlights, a slim upper grille with the bow-tie logo in the centre and redesigned bumpers. The side profile is nearly identical to the outgoing model, while the rear gets a redesigned tailgate and a tweaked pair of tail lights, while the number plate housing has been moved from the tailgate to the rear bumper. The spotted car also adorns a new paint shade, which looks similar to the Sparkling Gold colour offered with the new Figo.

The interiors are laid out in an arrangement that is similar to what we saw in the production-ready Chevrolet Essentia compact sedan showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo. However, while the Essentia concept came with overboard colour combinations of brown and beige, the production-spec Beat facelift adopts a black-beige layout. The steering wheel is identical to the one on the Essentia, while the centre console now houses Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

No powertrain related changes are expected with the new Beat. It will thus continue to be offered with two engine options: a 1.0-litre diesel and a 1.2-litre petrol.

Source: CarDekho

An undisguised test mule of the Chevrolet Beat facelift has been spotted testing, thus revealing its final design. The spotted model is probably the base-level variant, as it has steel rims, black door handles and no foglamps. Chevrolet is expected to launch the new Beat early next year.

The facelifted Beat appears to have taken inspiration from the Beat Active concept that was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo. The car gets a reworked front fascia, including redesigned headlamps, a sleeker front grille and a new bumper. The side profile remains similar to the current model, though the facelift might get a new set of alloy wheels on the top-end trim. At the rear, the updated Beat comes with a new tailgate and a tweaked pair of taillights, while the number plate housing has now been moved to the rear bumper.

The Beat facelift will likely continue to be equipped with the same set of engines that power the current model. This includes a 1.0-litre diesel that churns out 57 BHP and 143 Nm of torque, and a 1.2-litre petrol that is rated at 77 BHP and 107 Nm of torque. Both these engines will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Source: CarWale

The made in India Chevrolet Beat, which is sold as the Chevrolet Spark GT in international markets, has scored a zero star rating in crash tests conducted by Latin NCAP. The third-gen Spark is manufactured at Chevrolet's plant in Talegaon, Maharashtra, and is then exported to markets like Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central America, Uruguay, and Caribbean countries.

The variant tested was the base Classic trim that doesn't come with airbags. This led to a zero star rating in child protection as well as adult occupant protection. However, the body shell integrity and foot well area were termed as stable by the testing authority.

Latin NCAP mentioned that the driver's head and chest were poorly protected, while the neck protection was weak. This was mainly due to the collision of the chest and the head with the steering wheel, which could have essentially been avoided if the car had airbags. On the passenger side, the head protection was good, however the chest protection was poor. The passenger's knees were prone to injury due to dangerous structures in the dashboard.

Recently, the India-made Renault Kwid and Honda Mobilio were tested by Global NCAP, where the former scored a 1 star rating, while the Mobilio earned a 0 for the no-airbag variant and 3 stars for the airbag-equipped variant.

Chevrolet India recently released their future plans, which talked about shelving of the Spin MPV for the Indian market, and launch of the refreshed Beat hatchback. It was reported earlier that the company would introduce the new Beat around the festive season this year, keeping in mind that the current Beat has plummeted in terms of sales figures. But recent reports coming from the American automaker now suggest that the new Beat would be launched early next year.

The new Beat shares a lot of similarities with the current-gen model as well as the Spark that is sold in the international markets. The front fascia comes with twin-part grille with the logo placed in the centre. Headlamps now get bigger housings, while the bumper too is redesigned. The overall silhouette of the car is nearly identical to that of the current model, with the rear door handle placed near the glass window. Rear design of the new Beat hasn't been revealed yet, but it is expected to come with a refurbished pair of taillights and a new bumper.

The new Beat will be powered by re-engineered versions of the existing engines, i.e. 1.0-litre, three-cylinder petrol and diesel units. These engines will be tuned to extract better power and economy figures.

Chevrolet India is expected to offer a safety pack, including airbags and ABS, as an option on all trim levels of the new Beat.

Source: Overdrive

A test mule of what is believed to be the Chevrolet Beat Activ has been spotted on the streets of Bengaluru. The vehicle was seen with cladding on its front and rear ends.

Chevrolet had displayed the Beat Activ concept at the 2016 Auto Expo earlier this year. It features crossover styling, much like the Volkswagen Cross Polo, Toyota Etios Cross, etc. It has a new dual port front grille, reworked headlamp clusters, redesigned bumpers with skid plates, black cladding on its sides and around its wheel arches, new tail lamps and roof rails.

The Beat Activ is likely to use the same engines and transmissions at the regular Beat. These include one petrol unit and one diesel engine. Both are mated to a 5-speed manual transmission.

While the petrol motor is a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder unit that develops 77 BHP @ 6,200 rpm and 106.5 Nm of torque @ 4,400 rpm, the diesel engine is a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder powerplant that can put out 56.3 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 142.5 Nm of torque @ 1750 rpm.

Source: Motor Vikatan

General Motors India has rolled out the first vehicle meant for export to Argentina. The shipment will leave for the South American country next month.

The Beat is produced at General Motors' manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, which has an annual capacity of 1,30,000 vehicles. GM India began vehicle exports from India to Chile in September 2014.

Argentina will be the sixth major export market for General Motors India. The company already exports the left-hand drive Beat to Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC) and Uruguay.

The Chevrolet Beat was the sixth most exported passenger vehicle out of India during financial year 2015-16, with a total of 37,082 units shipped. The car is badged as the Spark outside India. It is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over 1 million (10 lakh) units.

In 2016, General Motors plans to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with the 21,000 units shipped out in the last calendar year. This will help increase capacity utilization at its Talegaon plant. The facility will become a global export hub for General Motors, with around 30 percent of its annual production planned for markets outside India.

Chevrolet has given the Beat hatchback some updates for 2016. The car now comes with some additional features, two new colours and a new nomenclature for the top variant - LTZ.

The Beat gets clear glass headlamps with black accents, fog lamps with chrome surrounds, tail lamps with a combination of coloured and clear glass and a new rear spoiler with LED inserts. It also gets a dual-tone rear bumper with reflectors.

On the inside, select variants get audio controls mounted on the steering wheel. The Beat also comes with a new silver interior and height-adjustable driver's seat. Other features that have been added include remote keyless entry with foldable key, body-coloured door handles and silver interior highlights on lower trims.

While the top-of-the-line LTZ variant comes with front dual air bags, anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD), Chevrolet is now providing a driver side airbag on the LT variant.

The Beat is now available in two new colours - Pull Me Over Red and Satin Steel Grey. The other body colours on offer are Cocktail Green, Sandrift Grey, Switch Blade Silver, Summit White, Linen Beige and Caviar Black.

There are no mechanical changes to the Beat. The vehicle continues to use the same 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder diesel and 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engines as before.

The updated Beat is priced between Rs 4.28 lakh and Rs 5.55 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi).