Chevrolet Spark could get a mid life facelift
General Motor India’s entry level hatchback Chevrolet Spark has found many homes over the years over its launch. It is an extremely popular hatchback usually seen on the Indian roads. Priced above Rs 3 lakh, the hatchback is one of the most affordable cars in India, though it is offered only in petrol and LPG version. Chevrolet Spark has up-surged Chevrolet’s sales in India substantially, but now due to the hike in demand for diesel driven cars in India the sales has hit a little bit.
Chevrolet Spark hatchback comes armed with a 1.0 litre, four cylinder petrol engine that pips out 62 Bhp of maximum power and 90 Nm of peak torque. The small car is the most powerful hatchback in its segment. The hatch definitely has an upper hand over other rivals in its segment in terms of power, but as far as the fuel economy of the car is concerned, its competitors like Maruti Alto F8D and the Hyundai Eon. Chevrolet Spark petrol offers a mileage of 14 kmpl in city and 18 kmpl on highway. While the Sprak LPG delivers a fuel economy of 10.5 kmpl in city and 13.2 kmpl on highway. Chevrolet Spark price begins at Rs 3.14 lakh and goes up to Rs 3.97 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). If we compare Spark to its competitors like Alto and Eon then the base version of Eon is priced more than its rivals.
Now that the sales of Spark have slumped, General Motors India is thinking to give the hatchback a slight facelift. Recently, the hatchback was seen undergoing test run and was covered in slight camouflage, the car was spotted near Pune, and this proves that something is cooking up at GM India. Speculations suggest that the hatchback could get a downsized 3 cylinder, 800cc petrol mill, this would make the car more frugal and the price will also be reduced by a few thousand bucks.
Though this might be just a speculation and General Motors is not thinking about any stripped down version of Spark as the company has not given any hint about it. Chevrolet does not have a 800cc three cylinder petrol mill therefore developing a new 800cc petrol engine specifically for the new Spark looks unlikely, as the volumes of this hatch has dropped considerably. Or the company might be thinking to launch a soft facelift of Spark in India. Spark has been in the country for quite some time now and a mid life facelift could be a possibility, launched five years back in India Spark’s facelift is a long overdue.
A soft makeover will render a fresh look to the hatchback as the customers will be offered with something new instead of the old and conventional looks. The biggest drawback looking at the market condition and present demand is the lack of a diesel engine, no matter how good the car is sky rocketing petrol prices have made it difficult for small cars and other cars to sustain in the market. If the car maker can roll out the hatch in diesel version it would be absolutely wonderful for the hatchback’s sales which could take a U turn and go back to its upward trend.
Reference Box: Go through the Chevrolet Spark pictures gallery on Carkhabri.com. Read the useful Chevrolet Spark reviews written by the owners and know what they have to say about the car.
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