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2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept Looks like a Spark Sedan in India

Chevrolet is playing with the grand idea of turning the smallest car it's got into something else. The model we know as the Spark is sold under the name "Beat" in India and has been transformed into a sedan called Essentia for the New Delhi Auto Show 2016.
2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept 18 photos
Photo: Chevrolet
2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept2016 Chevrolet Beat Essentia Concept
The Essentia is technically a concept car, but Chevy will make it happen very soon. Demand for small sedans is huge in India at the moment, and the all-new Spark platform gives it an advantage over the competitors.

Looking at the new model, it's hard to imagine that it's based on the Beat/Spark. The proportions are so much larger, and the design changes were well executed. It doesn't look like the trunk is an afterthought, as was the case with the VW Ameo.

The Essentia shares some familiar design cues with its hatchback brother, namely the U-shaped headlights, grille and the downward sloping roof. The design work was carried out at GM’s Korea Design Studio.

Chevrolet India is attempting to make the Beat sedan look premium. There's a lot of texturing in the plastic on the dash, though it is hard. We haven't seen this much brown inside a small car since the 90s.

The instrument cluster is small and attaches itself to the top of the steering wheel. This motorcycle-like feature is unconventional for a premium car, but people might still like it.

Even though it's technically just a concept, the Essentia is pre-production. You can see that from the headlights and the LTZ badging on the trunk that denotes the trim level.

The compact sedan, when rolled out, will compete with the usual suspects Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Tata Zest and Hyundai Xcent. Production will start in 2017 at the GM factory in Talegaon. We don't know anything about the engine yet, but expect a 1.2 petrol or 1-liter diesel linked to a CVT automatic.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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