Chevrolet reveals Beat Activ and Essentia concepts at Delhi show; latter to to enter Indian market by 2017

Chevrolet has revealed two new concepts at the ongoing Delhi Auto Show, both of which are based on the Chevrolet Beat, or Chevrolet Spark as it is known elsewhere. The first is a crossover known as the Beat Activ, while the second is a compact sedan named Essentia.

Although referred to as a concept in this instance, the Essentia looks near production-ready, for good reason. Chevrolet has announced that the compact sedan is set to be introduced in the Indian market in 2017. On the design side of things, the Essentia differs from the current Beat greatly, although it shares the same platform. Here, nearly everything appears to be new, and more premium for that matter. This includes the front head- and tail lights, fog lamps, side mirrors and wheels.

The increased overhang at the rear should provide a larger cargo space, while the rear doors have been redone, and the roof rails have been removed. There is also a chrome element near the side windows and the radio antenna has been shortened as well.

Inside, the premium look continues with an updated dash featuring a more contemporary-looking “floating” instrument cluster and a new steering wheel with repositioned controls. The centre stack similarly gets revised with new air-con vents, plus Chevy’s latest MyLink infotainment system nestled below it.

Next up, we have the Beat Activ, which does not have an ETA to Indian market. The concept is merely to gauge the public’s interest to such a vehicle, a funky, rugged version of the standard Beat. And funky it is, with a bright green paintjob that is accompanied by plenty of plastic/aluminium flourishes and garnishes. There are even honeycomb-design LED fog lamps and LED headlights.

Inside, the fun continues with tri-colour seats with contrast stitching, plus plenty of green trim and faux carbon-fibre accents. The dash layout, instruments and infotainment unit is identical to that on the Essentia, save for the grip handle that displaces the glove box, and of course, the wild colour scheme.

No details on the engines that will power both cars. However, given that the Essentia shares a lot with the Beat, it could get the company’s new 1.4-litre Ecotec engine or the current 1.0-litre XSDE SMARTECH diesel engine (57 PS/142 Nm), paired to a five-speed manual. The same can be said of the Beat Activ as well.

Chevrolet Essentia concept

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