Chevrolet cars

Although the Auto-sales declined by huge number here in India in the year 2013 but still we saw many new launches from various Automobile manufacturers in the same year. We saw manufacturers like Honda, Ford and even Chevrolet recently filled up their blank slots with their various vehicles. Today we will be comparing one of the latest and the most anticipated launches from General Motors, Chevrolet the Enjoy MPV with another existing and popular MPV from Maruti Suzuki known as Ertiga which existed in the Indian market for more than a year now.

Now both of these vehicles are almost similarly priced and also offers quite a bit of luxury and space inside for its passengers. Lets explore these two vehicles and find out which one will emerge as the winner among st this two.

Chevrolet launched the Enjoy MPV recently in the Indian market, this was there third consecutive launch after tying up with SAIC first two being the Chevrolet sail twins the Sail sedan and the hatchback. Chevrolet has launched this people mover and claims that most of its parts were localised and redesigned keeping the indian statsistics and condition in mind. Maruti Suzuki launched their own version of MPV in the indian market a year ago and it was quite succesful. Now chevrolet has launched the Enjoy which will give direct competition to the Ertiga.

Chevrolet Enjoy was launched with both Diesel and petrol engine versions, the 1.3-litre diesel engine, which is produced at GM India’s state-of-the-art Talegaon Powertrain facility, generates maximum power of 77.5 PS at 4,000 rpm and maximum torque of 188 Nm at 1,750 rpm. The 1.4-litre 4 cylinder petrol engine generates maximum power of 104 PS at 6,000 rpm and maximum torque of 131 Nm at 4,400 rpm. The MPV has been fitted with GM India’s new-generation SMARTECH petrol and diesel engines, which are not only powerful but fuel eficient too.

Chevrolet recently launched the Sail U-VA in the Indian market. Indian hatchback car market has seen massive sales figures in the recent years and that is due to the hike in fuel prices, every Indian car owner wants a small car for themselves which can return good fuel economy and enough space to accommodate their whole family and also have all the features that is provided by a good quality family hatchback.

So Chevrolet recently launched their new premium hatchback Sail U-VA which provides everything. The Sail U-VA is powered by a 1.2 l smartech Petrol engine which generates 86 PS of maximum power and 113 Nm of Torque. The hatchback also returns 18.2 km to a litre. Thus it has everything that one expects from a hatchback of this class. Let’s get to know the details of this vehicle.

What manufacturers can’t afford today in the market with such cut throat competition is delay in their launches. Chevrolet had planned to launch the Spark in 2012 but then there was an unscheduled delay which has definitely put a dent in the manufacturers’ aspirations for the hatch as Maruti Suzuki meanwhile launched the new Alto. The Spark was first launched in 2007 and it has had its fair share of success in the hugely competitive entry level hatch segment. Designed and engineered to be a cheap and economical car, the prices for the Spark start from Rs 3.26 lakhs to Rs 3.81 lakhs for the petrol while the LPG version costs Rs 3.82 lakhs to Rs 4.10 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi. The Chevy Spark comes with a 3 year or 1,00,000km standard warranty and the customers can also opt for the add-on service maintenance package and also the Chevrolet Promise Cost of Ownership Program.

Indians can be fussy. We want our food to taste how it tastes at home, we relish the chaos in our country and to please us isn’t an easy task. When it comes to cars we can be rigid too. Toyota, Honda, Maruti Suzuki and now even Hyundai can breathe easy. Over the last year years these manufactures have done most things right and have developed a strong reputation for themselves. Reputations for us Indians are essential and somewhere down the line despite the success of the Beat, Spark and the Cruze, Chevrolet still suffers from lack of trust and the reputation that it holds is considered below the Japanese manufacturers and now even Hyundai. The word spread quickly that the Sail is a product from the GM-SAIC joint venture which was designed and in Shanghai, China. People immediately formed an opinion on the Sail and while the hatch has its obvious benefits for emerging markets like ours, the Sail was immediately branded not as premium a product as its eastern rivals. Chevrolet is now launching a sedan version of the Sail hatch next month and though the prices aren’t out yet the manufacturer knows that it can’t price it more than the Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Toyota Etios or even the Tata Manza. Prices will be announced next month but we expect the petrol version to start from just over Rs 6lakhs and the diesel to start from under 7lakhs.

The star in our list of the 10 most fuel efficient diesel hatchbacks in India is the Fiat manufactured 1.3-litre multijet engine. Used by Tata, Maruti Suzuki, Chevrolet and of course Fiat, this engine is featured in 6 different cars. Ironically the Fiat Punto only features in our list in number 10. Maruti, Tata and Chevrolet engineers have all managed to get better figures than Fiat engineers which is an irony. Also is a surprise that unlike 5 Maruti Suzuki’s which made it to our list of petrol hatchbacks, only 2 were able to make it in this time around.

It ultimately boils down to the fuel efficiency. Price and fuel efficiency are undoubtedly the most important things when it comes to making the choice for automobiles for the majority of us Indians. We have come out with a list of the ten most fuel efficient petrol hatchbacks in India and have taken the figure supplied by the Automotive Research Association of India to help us come up with the list. Out of the cars it is not a surprise that 5 are Maruti Suzuki’s and that’s a testament to how well Maruti understands the Indian market. They are catering perfectly to our needs andHyundai, the second largest passenger car manufacturer in India comes in seconds with 3 entries. Tata has one and so does Chevrolet.

What we need in our market are cars that provide a bit more than practicality. Sure we have cars like the Kia Picanto in the list our nominated cars but the entry of Kia will really spice up things. The Indian customers who is still as price conscious as he was 5 years ago is looking for a bit more than ‘practicality’ but doesn’t want to pay a fortune for that. We have listed 8 cars which we think could be India bound next year and all of which we think would add value to the market. Some of them have been already seen testing in the market while the others we think have definite potential. 2013 nevertheless would be an exciting year if you are an auto enthusiast and you can bet on there being surprises on the way.

It is the entry level hatch market which sees the maximum action. Maruti earlier this month launched the Alto with its most telling changes yet since it was first launched. We’ll be really surprised if the Alto doesn’t immediately go to the top of the ladder in terms of car sales. Chevrolet has now done the same and has launched the Spark which now gets a facelift, changes to the interiors and some ‘innovative’ changes to the engine as well. Launched in 2007 the Spark has a tough task ahead of it as it takes on the Alto which has already got 20000 bookings. The 2012 Spark is available in 5 different variants and prices start from Rs 3.32lakhs for the base variant and the top of the line petrol variant is priced at Rs 3.88lakhs. The LPG models are priced at Rs 3.89lakhs and Rs 4.19lakhs respectively. Speaking at launch, Lowell Paddock, President & Managing Director, GM India, said “The all-new Spark will build on the success of its predecessors and stand out against the competition in India’s rapidly growing small car market. The introduction of the all-new Spark reinforces GM’s commitment to continually roll out new and upgraded products that exceed the expectations of car buyers nationwide.”

It’s not often that even before the launch of a car the general perception is not of optimism but rather subdued caution. Such is the mood with the launch of the Chevrolet Sail before General Motors launches it in our market. The thinking in the automobile market is that the Sail is to ‘Chinese’ to really make it big in our market. A GM product that has caught our eye recently has been the Onix hatch which has been developed specifically for the Brazilian market. The hatch was revealed at the Sao Paulo Motor Show and though for the moment it is aimed solely for the Latin American market, the Onix is a car with which GM plans to turn around its fortunes in the area. Speaking at the unveiling at Sao Paulo, Chevrolet Marketing Director, Gustavo Colosi said, “We looked to create a car with high levels of design, comfort and technology that will exceed customer expectations.” The Onix has been designed and engineered in Brazil and prices will begin from Rs 8.5lakhs.