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

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).

General Motors has announced that it has recalled 101,597 units of the Chevrolet Beat diesel manufactured between December 2010 and July 2014.

The company will inspect and if necessary, replace the clutch pedal lever in these cars. The clutch pedal lever is susceptible to cracking on continued usage.

General Motors has started notifying the owners of the Beat diesel to take their cars to any of Chevrolet's 248 authorized service centers across India.

Alternatively, customers can also contact their nearest Chevrolet dealership and schedule an appointment for vehicle inspection and correction. The affected vehicles will be repaired free of charge at Chevrolet’s authorized service centers across the country.

This is the second recall the company has issued for the Beat in this calendar year. In July, the company had recalled model along with the Enjoy and Spark due to a wiring issue linked to the remote keyless entry system.

General Motors has displayed the next-generation Spark hatchback at the ongoing 2015 Dubai Motor Show. The Spark will be called the Beat in India.

The new Spark features sleeker styling than the outgoing model. At the front, it has new headlamps, a redesigned dual port grille, a new front bumper with redesigned fog lamp enclosures and a new bonnet. The sides of the car see redesigned ORVMs, new character lines and restyled alloy wheels. The rear of the car features redesigned tail lamps, a new bumper and a roof-mounted rear spoiler. The car is lower than the outgoing model by 40 mm. However, its wheelbase is longer by 100 mm.

The interiors of the Spark have been redesigned as well. There is a new black dashboard, a redesigned instrument cluster and a new multifunction steering wheel. The car also gets the next-generation Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system with a 7-inch-diagonal colour touch screen. Safety equipment includes dual front airbags.

The Spark is powered by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine from General Motors' Ecotec engine family. This engine is estimated to produce 98 BHP and is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a CVT. In India, 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol and diesel engines are likely to be used to power the car.

General Motors builds the Spark at its facility in Changwon, South Korea.

Source: Indian Autos Blog

General Motors India has announced the rollout of the first Chevrolet Beat hatchback for export to Mexico. The central American country is the company's second major export market. 

General Motors' manufacturing facility at Talegaon, Maharashtra will start shipping cars to Mexico from next month. Sales of the Beat in Mexico are scheduled to begin in December 2015.

The Chevrolet Beat is available in more than 70 markets around the world, primarily as the Chevrolet Spark. Chevrolet has sold more than 1 million Sparks and Beats worldwide.

General Motors began vehicle exports to Chile from its Talegaon facility in September 2014. It exported approximately 1,000 vehicles last year and is targeting exports of 19,000 vehicles this year.

The company is also exploring other markets for exports in an attempt to drive capacity utilization at the Talegaon facility.

GM CEO Mary Barra was in India recently and announced an additional investment of $ 1 billion. The Talegaon facility, which currently has a production capacity of 1,30,000 vehicles annually, will increase its base capacity to 2,20,000 vehicles by 2025. It will also become a global export hub for GM, with up to 30% of its annual production planned for markets outside India.

The next-generation Chevrolet Spark (Beat in India) has been spotted on foreign soil without any camouflage.

The spy images indicate that the car gets a thoroughly redesigned exterior. At the front, there is a new bonnet, reshaped headlamps, a thin radiator grille, a new bumper with a large air dam and fog lamps. Chrome inserts can be found on the grille, air dam and fog lamp housings. Viewed from the side, the Spark's body appears to have a number of creases running across it. Like the current model, the new car's rear door handle is located on the C-pillar.

The next generation Spark is likely to be powered by a new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, petrol engine. More details on the car are awaited.

Source: Carscoops

Media reports suggest that General Motors has recalled the Chevrolet Beat over a fuel pipe issue. Beat petrol hatchbacks manufactured before July 31, 2010 could have accumulation of electronic discharge in the nonconductive fuel pipe. 

The company has written letters to owners of the affected cars to have their cars checked. Additionally, dealerships have been asked to contact the owners and schedule appointments and carry out these checks. In case a problem is detected, the necessary repairs or replacement of parts will be carried out at no cost to the customer. The repairs are expected to take a couple of hours.

Customers can call General Motors service at 1800-3000-8080 or contact the company through email at gmi.cac@gm.com.

Source: Motorbeam

General Motors has announced that it has sold more than 1 million units of the Chevrolet Beat hatchback in various markets across the world.

The Beat was launched in India in 2009 where it has sold more than 1,78,000 units. It is available in petrol and diesel variants. Chevrolet claims that the Beat diesel is the most fuel efficient hatchback in the country with fuel efficiency figure of 25.44 kpl.

Apart from India, the Beat is sold in 71 countries worldwide. These include South Korea, United States of America and Mexico. In many markets, it is known as Spark.

Recently, General Motors India started exporting left-hand drive versions of the Beat manufactured at it Talegaon facility near Pune to Chile in South America. The company is also evaluating the possibility of exporting the Indian-built car to other markets.

General Motors India has announced that it has commenced the export of vehicles to Chile. The first batch of cars consisted of 140 left-hand drive units of the Chevrolet Beat hatchback, which were shipped from Mumbai on September 25, 2014. The cars are expected to reach Chile in the next few weeks.

General Motors manufactures the Beat at its manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra. ‎It is available with petrol and diesel engines and is the company's best-selling model in India. It is also built and sold in many other markets around the world.

As a part of her visit to India earlier this week, General Motors CEO Mary Barra participated in the rollout of the first Beat for export. The company intends to ship cars to Chile on a monthly basis.

The General Motors manufacturing facility at Talegaon has an annual production capacity of 170,000 vehicles and 160,000 engines.