Chevrolet Enjoy

Chevrolet Enjoy is a full-fledged seven seater Multi Purpose Vehicle that will be available in India soon. This new MPV which is popular in Chinese market as ‘Hong Guang’, will hit the markets in mid 2012. The Chevrolet Enjoy MPV which was on pedestal in the Auto Expo, 2012 along with hatch Chevrolet Sail, is designed for those who look for space, comfort and style in their vehicle which can add pleasure to life. The stylish MPV is actually co-developed with the Chinese partner SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation). SAIC has 50% stake in GM India and the Chevrolet Enjoy will be coming from the stables of Wuling Automobiles which is a Joint venture between GM and SAIC in China.  

General Motors operates in India with the subsidiary-Chevrolet. GM stands on top position in sales of four wheeler across the globe and such a top player in car industry is bound to produce cars that are reliable. Chevrolet has a vast range of cars in India and all enjoy a decent market share which is increasing day by day. While it has Beat, Spark and Aveo U-VA in hatchback segment, Aveo, Optra Magnum and Cruze goes into sedan category. Apart from them, there are Chevrolet Captiva and Chevrolet Tavera Neo sitting in the utility segment. With the new addition of this Enjoy MPV, the company will have enough number of vehicles to rule their respective segments.

Moreover MPV segment is at present ruled by Toyota Innova in India and it takes most of the market share in its segment. Every car maker is vying to beat its sales and in this attempt, Chevrolet is also not lagging. With the Chevrolet Enjoy, the company will directly attack Innova. Albeit, Chevrolet has its Tavera in MPV segment, it will bring the new MPV which will be built more on the grounds of style and class and would be an urban car. While Tavera Neo will continue to serve semi-urban audience, new Enjoy will serve totally urban class.

Chevrolet Enjoy will cater to need of large Indian families having seven seats. The B segment MPV will suit all needs of a passenger vehicle. Comfort will be ensured by flexi-seating in the MPV. Lotus, which is a British automaker, worked in tandem with the General Motor Technical Center in India for more than one and a half year to tune the chassis. The frame of this MPV is rigid as well as light weight because high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel is used in the body and chassis. However, ground clearance seems to be less which can create a problem for the new entry. The designers have played with the exteriors by introducing a crease in the side to divide the mass of the body of MPV. The car has a body on frame design just like Mahindra Xylo and Toyota Innova.

Just like Innova and Ertiga, Chevrolet Enjoy MPV will boast of its dual-row air conditioning. Safety was given a good weightage in the development of the MPV. The MPV will have loads of safety features such as dual air bags for driver and front passenger, seat belts with load limiters, ABS and tubeless tyres. However, speculations say that these goodies will be optional.

This product has been tailored for local market conditions and need of local customers for economical, user-friendly personal transportation. The new Chevrolet Enjoy will be powered by a 1.4 litre petrol unit that will be able to churn out 94.6 bhp of power and 127 Nm. A powerful 1.3 litre Smart XSDE 4 cylinder diesel engine will follow this petrol one, however the company will not launch this diesel guised Enjoy before 2013. This multijet diesel engine will be codeveloped by GM and Fiat. The engines would be produced at GM’s pant in Talegaon near Pune. As of now predictions are only for the petrol engine. Now, everything will depend on right pricing of this MPV because if prices are bang-on, this new car will really be a segment buster. That said sourcing the car from China will give a huge cost advantage and even the engine will be relatively cheap as it will be locally produced.