There is no denying that 2014 was a good year for a handful of automakers in India, like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda, etc. While these manufacturers did well, there were some that were unable to rise to the challenge posed by the market conditions these past years and continued to lose market share. Case in point, Chevrolet; the Detroit-based manufacturer had a dream run in India with the Chevrolet Cruze and Beat till about 2012. The debut of the Sail hatchback and sedan, and the Enjoy MPV in 2013 also failed to have any effect on its dwindling sales.
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Though the Beat continues to be Chevrolet's best performer in the country, it is not doing much if one was to look at its numbers in terms of segment sales. As far as Tavera is concerned, its sales suffered a drop of over 50%. This leaves us with the Cruze, which was doing decently till about last year. However, the sedan is now in desperate need of a makeover.
GM launched the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze in China in August, 2014. Based on the all-new D2XX platform, the Chinese version of the sedan is offered with motors from the the all-new Ecotec engine family, i.e. the 1.4-litre direct-injection turbo and a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder mill. Compared to the exiting model, the new Cruze gets a stretched roofline and spacious interiors.
The 1.4T SIDI motor puts out 147.5bhp and 235Nm and is offered with a choice of a new 7-speed dual clutch or a 6-speed manual transmission. On the other hand, the 1.5 SIDI mill develops 112bhp along with a peak torque of 146Nm and comes mated to a new 6-speed automatic gearbox.
The U.S.-bound Cruze will feature a handful of changes, which will include a different front fascia among other minor changes.
The other car that could probably turn the tables in favour of Chevy is the Aveo - which operates in the segment lower than that of the Cruze. GM first fielded the Opel Corsa in this segment, which was then followed by Chevrolet Aveo, and finally, the Sail sedan - which is currently on sale in India. Since the Sail duo failed to take off in India, it might do the company some good to bring back the Aveo nameplate, both, as a sedan and hatchback.
In 2014, the carmaker also revealed a new Chevrolet Aveo for China, which is sold as the Sonic in U.S. and other markets. The 2015 model gets a brand new front and rear design, which makes it look like the 2015 Chevrolet Cruze. However, it remains unchanged mechanically, i.e. it will continue to be powered by the 1.4-litre DVVT engine that churns out 96 ponies and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. There is no word about the company using the Ecotec 4-cylinder engines yet.
