Spied: Chevrolet Beat diesel

Alright we have said this before but the Chevrolet Beat diesel’s launch is indeed nearing! Check out the picture below. A sneaky spy photographer caught the Beat diesel parked at one of Chevrolet’s Bangalore dealership, which raises hopes of the car’s launch soon.

GM India has officially confirmed that the Beat diesel will be launched in June 2011. But the spy photos posted by Goa On Wheels make us wonder if GM could begin bookings for the Beat diesel sooner than expected.

The Beat Chevrolet Beat diesel will be powered by a 3-cylinder, 1.0 litre CRDi engine that the company has developed at its R&D facility in Bangalore. The engine will be produced at GM India’s Talegaon plant in Maharashtra, which will dish out 1.60 lakh engines annually. However, the company’s Vice President P Balendran doesn’t expect the Beat diesel to be a major volume player. Read related story: GM India to increase localization

With complete localization of engine, GM India will more likely pitch the Beat diesel at an aggressive price range to have an edge over competition without spoiling its profit margin. Currently, the Beat petrol is priced at Rs. 3.55 lakh for the base variant up to Rs. 4.66 lakh for the top-end variant. All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.

You might also want to read out complete road test of the Chevrolet Beat petrol. More a full list of road tests, click here.

Diesel-engined cars are gradually gaining favor among buyers owing to their cheap running costs. When launched, the Chevrolet Beat diesel will lock horns with the Maruti Ritz diesel and Tata Indica V2 diesel.

The Maruti Ritz diesel is among the more popular diesel hatches in this price bracket (Rs 5 – 6 lakh). It is powered by a 1.3-litre DDiS engine (sourced from Fiat, a.k.a multijet) that produces 75hp of maximum power and returns an impressive 16 km/litre mileage. The Indica V2 Turbomax (BS IV compliant) is powered by a 1.4-litre diesel powermill that produces 70 hp and returns around 18 km/litre mileage.

Source: Goaonwheels