Top Automotive Blogs

Chevrolet Sail Sedan spotted undergoing road tests

For a long time, there has been a buzz in the entire Indian auto-industry that Chevrolet is going to introduce a compact sedan named Chevrolet Sail on the domestic shores. Earlier this year, at the Auto Expo Delhi, the company unveiled a prototype of this car that grabbed the attention of the visitors. Now again there has been a strong incidence proving that the company will introduce Chevrolet Sail within this year. Recently, a mule of Chevrolet Sail sedan has been spotted on the outskirts of Lonavala, Maharashtra undergoing road tests.

It has been declared by General Motors earlier that it is going to produce the Sail unit fronts the Indian facility of the company. The spotted prototype too got the local number plate registration of Gujarat that clearly proves that Sail is being manufactured from the Holol facility of GM located in Gujarat. No doubt local manufacturing of Chevrolet Sail would prove to be a favorable factor for the company enabling it to cater maintenance at a low price and supplying the sufficient demand of the product. In addition, there have been many more prototypes of this car that have been spotted this year carrying number plates of Maharashtra.

Chevy Sail is said to be developed by Shanghai GM and speculations are that the company would bring this three-box in two petrol engine types, i.e. the 1.2 liter and 1.4 liter petrol engines. The 1.2 liter Smart-Tech petrol engine of this car would have potential to churn maximum power of 82 bhp with peak torque of 108 Nm and is expected to be available in the hatchback variants of this car. On the other hand, Sail sedan is assumed to come powered by a 1.4 liter petrol engine that will have efficiency to churn 95 bhp power with peak torque of 130 Nm. It also expected that a diesel inline would also be followed. For the diesel engine variant of this car, the company might install the 1.3 liter Fiat Multi-jet engine.

Though, the company has not yet disclosed the exact launch date of this Sail hatchback and sedan, but speculations are that it would be introduced by mid of 2012. Undoubtedly, the Sail hatchback would stand head to head with cars like Honda Brio, Maruti Ritz, Ford Figo, Maruti Wagon R etc., while its sedan version will compete with compact sedans like Toyota Etios, Maruti Swift Dzire, Mahindra Verito and Tata Manza.