Chevrolet India website features Beat Diesel

Chevrolet India website, added a new page which features one of the most awaited cars of this year, Beat Diesel. Chevrolet Beat diesel will be powered by a small 936 cc TDCi diesel engine that will generate 57 bhp and 157 Nm torque.

The USP of this car is that it will be powered by a diesel engine that will deliver a mileage of 24 kmpl. In today’s time when rising fuel costs have forced people to switch to diesel powered cars, Chevrolet Beat is expected to change GM India’s fortunes in India.

According to the website, Chevrolet Beat’s Smartech engine will feature advanced engine design, engineering & packaging, combination of features and engine components package that provides improved performance, significant improvement in NVH characteristics of the engine leading to more comfortable driving experience, smart engine design and technology that provides optimum fuel efficiency in varied driving conditions, higher low end torque delivery for improved driving experience in stop and go traffic conditions, and rigorously tested & proven in extreme Indian road and climatic conditions.

While on the car, Chevrolet states, “Leave behind the worries of petrol costs, ignore the long queues at fuel stations; pass by every milestone on the road because new Beat Diesel is here. Equipped with advanced SMARTECH engine, Chevrolet Beat Diesel promises a very good mileage for really long drives. Its low end torque lets you hit the road with excellent pick up and enjoy the silent rides along with 4.5 m turning radius for great city maneuverability. So what are you waiting for? Be the first to experience. The Smarter Diesel!”
Source: Chevrolet Beat Diesel India

Chevrolet Beat Diesel Pre-Launch Preview

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Tomorrow, at 1130 in the morning, General Motors India will unveil the hotly anticipated entry level diesel hatchback, the Chevrolet Beat Diesel at Delhi and Mumbai simultaneously. In the run up to the launch, General Motors has been stressing upon the fact that the Beat Diesel’s three cylinder, common rail turbo diesel engine displaces 936cc and will be one of the segment leaders when it comes to fuel economy.

Also, the fact that the engine being a three cylinder unit will cost lesser to produce than say, a four cylinder diesel engine that most of the other competing cars in the segment like the Tata Indica eV2 and the Ford Figo Diesel feature. And this factor is expected to make a big difference.

This cost saving aspect of the three pot engine is expected to translate into a lower sticker price for the Chevrolet Beat Diesel, one which we expect will be very competitive to say the least. So, you can expect the Chevrolet Beat Diesel to be priced very close to the Tata Indica eV2 or just a little over the Indica’s price, thus making it one of the lowest price diesel hatchbacks in a country.


Chevrolet Beat Diesel

This, is especially crucial in a time when the demand for diesel cars in India is at an all time high. With the Chevrolet Beat Diesel, GM India will also aim to demonstrate that a three cylinder engine too can be as smooth as say a four potter. Yesterday, we brought you a story about the Chevrolet Beat’s brand new XSDE(An acronym for extra small diesel engine) Diesel engine’s raft of technologically advanced features.

The engine is also the smallest diesel engine yet, from the General Motors stable. Featuring a cam chain instead of the conventional cam belt, the XSDE Diesel three potter is designed to be a low maintenance engine. The engine has also been developed keeping in mind the fact that its intended application will be mainly on city streets. Therefore, plenty of low end torque to make city driving a breeze is a strong point of the engine.
Source:indiancarsbikes.in

Chevrolet Beat (diesel) to be launched in India on Jul 25

General Motors India would launch the diesel variant of its Chevrolet Beat in the Indian market on July 25, a top company official said

“With fluctuation in fuel prices in India from time to time, the new Chevrolet Diesel Beat, the prices of which will be announced at the launch will revolutionise the small car segment, with its engine capacity and fuel economy,” Karl Slym President and Managing Director General Motors India said

The company, which sold about 1.1 lakh cars last year in India, was doubling its growth rate in India as compared to industry average and expected to sell about 1.4 lakh vehicles in all variants this year,up by more than 30 per cent, he said.

Slym, was in Coimbatore to launch a new dealership along with two attached workshops, said the outlet was 250th in India. With tremendous demand for its cars particularly in rural areas, the company would increase sales and service network to 300 locations by the end of this year, he said.

New Chevrolet Beat Diesel

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

A small, economical, four-door hatchback is what an average middle-class Indian family of today is looking for. Out of all this, economy is of utmost priority when it comes to choosing a family hatchback from the varied choice that the customer is presented with. Now with price of petrol nudging 70 rupees a litre, diesel powered cars are set to gain popularity among the middle class population in India. Automakers in India are now anticipating an increased demand for diesel vehicles and have already started addressing the issue.

General Motors will launch the Beat hatchback with a diesel engine which will be aimed at fulfilling the demand for affordable diesel cars. IndianCarsBikes takes a look at a car that will grab your attention by virtue of its funky looks and now with a diesel engine under the bonnet would be light on your pocket as well. Well, fuel economy was definitely on GM’s mind when it comes to the Chevrolet Beat Diesel. At the heart of the machine is the smallest common-rail diesel engine on a passenger car in India and the first GM hatchback to sport a diesel powerplant anywhere in the world.

This is how important the Indian market is to automakers that GM went on to develop the 3-cylinder diesel engine specifically for India. The engine is based on the 1.3 litre Fiat Multijet which GM got from Fiat. The engineers at GM then reduced the size of the engine to 937 cc by getting rid of one of the cylinders turning it into a 3-pot. In this configuration, the 937 cc common-rail diesel engine puts out a healthy 57.8 horsepower and 15.2 kgm of torque. The 4-valves per cylinders and double overhead cams ensure better fuel economy and driveability.

Chevrolet Beat Diesel

To further improve fuel efficiency, GM has dumped the good-old hydraulic steering with a modern electric one. The new electric setup will in fact make the car more maneuverable but could lack the feedback of the classic hydraulic. Still, in the city the Beat diesel with its electric steering will be a joy to hustle around. At speeds though, things could get rather twitchy. The Chevrolet Beat Diesel will do a top whack close to 140 kph but it will require quite a long stretch of empty highway if you wish to get any close to the limit.

Coming to the most important bit, fuel economy. With a small diesel engine upfront, the Chevrolet Beat Diesel does 24 km in a litre of diesel, this according to tests conducted by ARAI. This makes the Chevrolet Beat diesel one of the most frugal hatchbacks available in India today. Now, the Chevrolet Beat is not the most spacious of the hatchbacks and lacks rear space. The boot too is not as spacious as that of its competitors. That said, the rear seat can seat just two adults in comfort.

The Chevrolet Beat Diesel will be launched in India on the 25th of July and as always, pricing will be crucial. So, bottom line, the new Chevrolet Beat is a frugal and affordable (depends on how GM price it) hatchback for a small family or four adults at the max. GM is expected to price the Chevrolet Beat diesel around Rs 4-4.2 lakh. Thus, it will rival the Tata Indica V2 (53.5 bhp @ 5500 rpm). In terms of power, the Beat diesel surely has a slight upper hand and same with the looks. But, as far as practicality is concerned, the Beat does lack interior space. Keep watching this space for more updates on the launch day.
Source: indiancarsbikes.in/cars/chevrolet-beat-diesel-45269/

2011 Chevrolet Beat Diesel primed for a June 2011 Launch

2011 Chevrolet Beat Diesel

As petrol prices have sky rocketed to a level where two wheelers seem the sensible option for most prospective car buyers, a diesel hatchback makes so much more sense as Diesel is still being taxed lesser than petrol by the Indian government. So, diesel cars are most definitely the flavor of the season. The Chevrolet Beat Diesel has been long in the coming with General Motors India making some positive noises at the launch of the Chevrolet Beat LPG recently. According to General Motors India Vice-President P Balendran, the Chevrolet Beat Diesel will be launched in June, 2011.

He also went on to add that the Chevrolet Beat featuring the 1 liter CRDI diesel engine is not a volume player for General Motors, which is really surprising as we expect the Diesel Beat to really improve the fortunes of the Beat brand as a whole. General Motors India, for it’s part has been constantly improving the Beat based on the market feedback and the latest SMARTECH engine was a move in this direction, to improve the low end tractability of the petrol Beat. Now, a top GM India official mentioning that the Beat is not a volume player for GM could mean three things.

One: That he hasn’t a clue about what the Beat lacks right now, which is a diesel engine and that the Diesel as recently as January 2011 anaged to clock in at units, which while falling short of the market leaders the Hyundai i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Swift, is still a very reasonable number.

Two: That General Motors plans to sell the Diesel Beat with a high price tag, a-la-Nissan Micra Diesel and ensure that they shoot themselves onto their own feet and manage to convert the high potential Beat Diesel into an absolute sales dud.

Three: That, he simply has been misquoted.

The last option seems most likely or so we hope as the Chevrolet Beat Diesel simply deserves to be very competitively priced if GM India aim to consolidate their position in the Great Indian Small Car market. Otherwise, introducing a high priced diesel variant would simply not make sense, especially when the likes of the WagonR and the i10 are setting sales charts afire, month after month.

Source: 2011 Chevrolet Beat Diesel

2009 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid Car Review

Chevrolet is relegating its 2009 Malibu Hybrid to fleet buyers only due to poor sales. The bow-tie brand will begin working on a “two-mode” hybrid system that should be available in about a year, but until then, non-fleet customers won’t be able to get a hybrid Malibu. So that makes the tester that I had recently one of the last Malibu Hybrids available to the general public. As special as that is, something tells me these cars won’t be showing up at Barrett-Jackson in 20 years. But you never know.

The Basics

The Malibu Hybrid is a “mild” hybrid, meaning that it has an electric motor/generator that assists the gasoline engine, in order to improve fuel economy. A “mild” hybrid works differently than a “two-mode” system. “Two-mode” hybrids can be powered by either the electric motor or the gasoline motor or both, depending on driving needs. “Mild” hybrids, by contrast, use an electric motor to assist the gasoline engine. In the Malibu’s case, the hybrid system does allow for the gas motor to shut off at stoplights, and it also shuts off the fuel supply early during deceleration. Finally, the electric motor can give the gas engine a boost while at full throttle. All this adds up to an EPA-rated fuel economy of 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway.

That electric motor/generator mates to a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine, and the hybrid powertrain is matched up with a 4-speed automatic transmission. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, an antiskid system, front side airbags, and curtain side airbags.

Standard features on my tester included air conditioning, satellite radio, a CD player, power windows and locks, remote keyless entry, and a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. Base price? $25,555. The only options were a power 6-way adjuster for the driver’s seat ($200), and the black granite metallic paint ($95). With the options and the $670 destination fee, the as-tested price was $26,520.

Drive Impressions

Turn the key in the Malibu Hybrid, and it fires up in the same manner as a conventional gasoline-powered car. Step on the gas and acceleration is lively, particularly for a midsize car. Back off the gas, and an “eco” light comes on in the gauge cluster, indicating that you are driving in a more eco-friendly way.

Speaking of eco-friendliness, one of the reasons that the Malibu Hybrid wasn’t selling well was its lack of a major fuel-economy boost over conventional Malibu models. Indeed, 4-cylinder Malibus get 30 mpg highway with the 4-speed automatic and 33 mpg with the 6-speed automatic, which is just one mpg shy of the hybrid, according to the EPA. Real-world results were a tad disappointing: I averaged 20.5 mpg in mostly city driving, which isn’t great. I applaud the Malibu Hybrid for shutting off the gas engine when the vehicle is stopped as a fuel-saving measure, but I still expected better results overall.

Ride and handling are on the sporty side, with just a smidge of stiffness. That’s not to say the ride is punishing, it isn’t. But it is firmer than say, a Toyota Camry. Thankfully, its handling responses are also tauter. Sure, it’s not a sports car, but the Malibu Hybrid isn’t as averse to cornering maneuvers as some of its competitors are. Light, accurate steering helps it cause. Settle into a highway cruise, and the Malibu is generally planted, although some sharper bumps are felt.

The interior is a pleasant place to do business, although too much engine noise intrudes, especially under acceleration. The design is pleasing to the eye, and most of the switches are within easy reach, and are easy to use. Small-item storage is above average. There are a couple of downsides: The seats are a bit stiff on longer drives, and there are too many plastic surfaces throughout the cockpit. One other demerit: Interior space seems a bit cramped compared to others in this class.

Out back, the trunk is plenty large, and it should fit luggage or golf bags with no problems. The decklid is nicely integrated into the car’s overall exterior styling, which is handsome while still hewing to the conservative tastes of the class. No more rental-car look, which was the burden of the previous Malibu. No, this is a handsome ride--in an understated sort of way. The look is marred a bit by a couple of large “Hybrid” window stickers, but that’s a small price to pay for showing off your “green” sensibilities.

Final Thoughts

The Malibu is already a very strong choice in the midsize segment, so it made sense for Chevy to make a hybrid version to compete against Toyota’s Camry Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Unfortunately, the “mild” hybrid doesn’t bring the same fuel-economy gains as a “two-mode” system would. The Malibu is a great car, but unless you really need the one extra highway mpg or you really like the eco-friendly image of being a hybrid driver, I’d stick with the conventional 4-cylinder models.

Positives: Upscale interior, sleek exterior styling, sporty handling

Negatives: A tad noisy, a bit small inside, slightly stiff seats

Base Price: $25,555

Price as Tested: $26,520

Key Competitors: Ford Fusion Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, Toyota Camry Hybrid

Specifications

Engine: 2.4-liter 4-cylinder combined with electric motor/generator

Horsepower: 164 @ 6,400 RPM

Torque: 159 @ 5,000 RPM

Transmission: 4-speed automatic

Wheelbase: 112.3 inches

Length: 191.8 inches

Width: 70.3 inches

Height: 57.1 inches

Curb Weight: 3,537 lb

Cargo Volume: 15.1 cu. ft.

Fuel Capacity: 16.3 gallons

Seating Capacity: 5

Front Head Room: 39.4 inches

Front Leg Room: 42.2 inches

Rear Head Room: 37.2 inches

Rear Leg Room: 37.6 inches

Source:[examiner.com]

Chevy Volt cost expected to rise

Expensively redundant power features will likely be reworked for later models

The first Chevy Volt electric cars scheduled to reach showrooms in late 2010 will probably cost about $35,000 US in the United States, not the $30,000 US General Motors had hoped, the company says.

GM has found it can't re-engineer features such as windshield wipers and high-powered audio systems fast enough for the all-electric car, so it will be forced to put expensively redundant systems into the first-generation Volt.

The redundant systems will be eliminated later, probably in the second generation of the Volt, after engineers have had time to rework them for the new world of electric propulsion.

"It's starting to look like it's going to be close to $35,000," Dee Allen, a spokesman for GM, said of the first-generation Chevy Volt.

"Because we're going as fast as we're going to get this to market, some of the systems will have to be redundant," Allen said at the Chicago Auto Show.

The redundancies will add cost, but only temporarily, to buy engineers more time to solve the new challenges posed by electric propulsion.

In gasoline-powered vehicles, windshield wiper motors are powered directly off the engine. Audio systems have become enormous power hogs in recent years, with consumers demanding seven or nine-speaker sound in their cars, powered by 200-watt and even 500-watt amplifiers.

Those kinds of "parasitical" power losses are tolerated in gasoline-powered vehicles because they don't cost much or reduce mileage significantly.

But in a car with an electrical propulsion system, like the Volt, such wasted power means would mean greatly reduced range per charge.

"What we've ended up doing is having to re-engineer things most people take for granted," Allen said. The engineers have no doubt they can rework the electrical utilities of the car to meet modern demands, but not in the timeframe given to them by GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz to bring Volt to market, he said.

Lutz, GM's product boss, has pledged to have the Volt in showrooms by late 2010, if at all possible.

If that deadline doesn't prove feasible then the Volt it will reach market in the spring of 2011 -- which still doesn't give the engineers time to re-invent the windshield wiper.

"The second generation will be more refined," Allen said of the Volt, adding that some of the work-arounds devised by GM engineering so far are "elegant," while others are less so. The Volt will move under electrical energy alone, stored in lithium-ion batteries which can be plugged in.

A one-litre gasoline engine on board will power a generator to replenish the batteries when the charge is depleted during extended trips.

Chevrolet Camaro Convertible still on for 2011 Q1 launch

Rumors have been circulating the Web that General Motors’ financial condition has indefinitely delayed the open air version of the Chevrolet Camaro, but a new report indicated the Camaro Convertible is alive and well and still on track for a 2011 launch.

The Camaro Convertible’s launch date has been pushed back several times, but Chevrolet has never considered completely cancelling the program. “The convertible was never canceled,” General Motors spokesman Terry Rhadigan told Automotive News. “It was retimed. It will be the first quarter of 2011 for the start of production.”

The Camaro Convertible was originally slated to begin production in December 2009. However, further financial woes pushed that date back to May 2010 before being ultimately shifted to February 2011 – almost a full two years after the coupe started production at GM’s Oshawa, Ontario plant.

When the Camaro Convertible finally does make production, it will be available with V6 and V8 engines.

2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid Review

With all the discussions and internet talk surrounding the electric and hybrid vehicles that are still years away from production, what about cars that are available right now? Sure there is the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, not to forget the Ford Fusion and a few others, but what about the 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid.


The 2009 Malibu Hybrid is often overlooked in terms of hybrid cars because it is a mild hybrid, meaning incapable of moving under electric power only and only achieving slightly better fuel economy than its gasoline counterpart. However, it is still a solid car is aggressively price.

Staring at only $24,700, the Malibu Hybrid offers a nice package for a small premium over the standard Malibu. The Malibu Hybrid is powered by a 2.4 liter 164 hp gasoline engine. The engine is mated to an electric motor that is powered by a nickel metal hydride battery pack located in the trunk area. The gasoline engine along with the electric motor provides ample acceleration and close to V6 performance, but still manages to return 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway in a relatively large vehicle.

Though the mpg is not sensational it still offers an improvement of the standard 4 cylinder Malibu which returns 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway but has less power, and the V6 version which offers 17 mpg cit and 26 mpg highway.

The 2009 Malibu Hybrid comes in only a couple thousand over a comparable 4 cylinder model and is lower priced than a comparable V6 model. It offer goes gas mileage, relatively strong engine performance and a solid car overall. The redesigned Malibu is a great product from GM and adding a hybrid power train gives options for domestic car buyers interesting in entering into the hybrid craze.