American Chevrolet Spark(Beat) gets styling updates and a bunch of new direct injection, turbo petrol engines!

It’s been a couple of years since the Chevrolet Beat Hatchback was launched in the Indian market. After General Motors India launched the diesel engined variant of the Beat, India seems to have has slowly warmed up to the love me-hate me design of the funkily styled Chevrolet Beat. Globally, General motors is busy celebrating the centenary of the Chevrolet brand and on this momentous occasion has made a few announcements regarding the American Chevrolet Spark(Beat, in India) that might turn out to be quite important for the Indian market too.

Chevrolet Spark(Beat)

We’re able to carry these images thanks to Overdrive Editor, Sirish Chandran who happens to be at the Chevrolet centenary celebrations at Detroit, Michigan. Even as emission norms tighten across the world with fuel economy being the buzzword of the current economic climate, General Motors has announced a range of direct injection, turbocharged and twin cam engines for the Chevrolet Spark(Beat) in various engine capacities ranging from 1 to 1.4 Liters and in three and four cylinder guises.

Ford already has the EcoBoost range of turbo petrol, direct injection engines and GM, with the new range of small capacity direct injection and turbo petrol engines seems well on course to tackle the future with its very own range of small capacity ECOTEC engines. The Chevrolet Spark(Beat, in India) has also seen many visual styling upgrades before it goes on sale in the United States. Both the front and rear bumpers are redesigned with the front air dam also getting a different design.

Chevrolet Spark(Beat)

The grille up front is much bigger than in the Indian version. The headlamps and the tail lamps also see minor style jobs while the fog lamp housing is also a new design. The rear bumper now houses a tail pipe quite prominently to add to the Spark’s(Beat,in India) sporty appeal. This apart, the outer rear view mirrors are new along with new alloy wheels to complete the styling package. On the insides though, changes are less apparent as the Spark’s(Beat, in India) twin cockpit dashboard and the motorcycle inspired instrumentation console in itself is quite a radical design.

The steering wheel though sees a stylistic change. All in all, the American Chevrolet Spark is a facelifted car, which though being very similar to the Indian Beat, has many changes upon closer glance. Perhaps, General Motors India will give the Indian Beat a style refresh sometime in 2012, with the American version’s styling elements. What we’re hoping for, more than the style facelift, is for GM India to bring the small capacity, turbo petrol ECOTEC engines into the engine bay of the Indian Chevrolet Beat. If that ever happens, the Chevrolet Beat will finally get the go to match its show. What say, GM India?