Chevrolet Essentia Sedan Spied Testing

American carmaker Chevrolet hasn’t seen much success in India. Although it has always had a wide range of products on offer, none of them really stood up to the competition from established car marques like Maruti, Honda, Hyundai and Ford. But that hasn’t stopped the carmaker from trying to make its mark in India. One such car was showcased during the 2016 Auto Expo and it was a sub-4 metre sedan tagged as the Essentia.

Based on the next-gen Chevrolet Beat, the Essentia is smaller in dimensions than the Chevrolet Sail sedan currently on offer in India. While the new Beat has been spied testing multiple times, the Essentia was caught on camera this month for the first time since it was displayed at the 2016 Auto Expo. Destined to fight for its place against the likes of the Maruti Suzuki DZire, Ford Figo Aspire, Honda Amaze and the new kid on the block Volkswagen Ameo, the Essentia will feature a decent list of creature comforts. 

The funky set-up of an analogue speedometer with a digital readout for the tachometer, which currently does its duty in the current-gen Beat, will be upgraded to a carry a new look and feel. Apart from this, the sub-4 metre sedan will feature a touchscreen Chevrolet MyLink 2 infotainment system with Andrioid Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibilities. On the safety front, dual airbags, ABS and a reverse camera should make the feature list.

On the engines front, the Essentia is expected to be offered with either a 1.2-litre petrol mill or a 1.3-litre diesel motor. While both the motors will be tuned to be fuel-efficient, they will produce a power rating in the range of 80 to 90PS. Transmission duties will be assigned to a five-speed manual gearbox as standard; and GM-owned Chevrolet will possibly offer the sedan with an optional AMT (automated manual transmission) variant.

While no details have surfaced regarding its launch date in India, Chevrolet must get the pricing right for it to salvage some share in one of the fastest-growing automotive markets in the world.