Spied: 2017 Chevrolet Beat spotted testing in India
The 2017 Chevrolet Beat was recently spotted testing on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway in full camouflage. The car is based on the Beat Activ Concept which was unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo along with a production-ready Chevrolet Beat Essentia. The overall shape of the concept car has been retained with a revamped front-end that features new headlights, fenders and bumper. The side and rear profiles, on the other hand, look very familiar to the outgoing model despite the new tail lights, tailgate and bumper. The interior of the car will get significant updates like a new dash layout, a refreshed instrument cluster and a touchscreen infotainment system.
Like with most cars, the production version of the 2017 Chevrolet Beat has been dulled down significantly from the cool concept car we saw at the expo. While the headlights and tail lights retain the shape, they lose the attractive LED elements. The test mule doesn't feature the roof rails or the body cladding either. However, Chevrolet could be saving those for a more rugged-looking variant of the 2017 Beat that rivals the Tata Tiago Aktiv, when it comes out.
Unfortunately, the new Chevrolet Beat is not based on the same platform as the all-new international-spec Chevrolet Spark. It is essentially just a facelift and will not feature any mechanical changes. It will continue to run the same 57.1PS/142.5Nm, 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbo-diesel and the 77.9PS/106.5Nm, 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol. Both these options will get a 5-speed manual.
Although we weren't able to get in touch with GM about any more details, we expect this car to be launched in the second half of 2017. It will face tough competition from the 2017Â Hyundai Grand i10 which will be launched in January.