The Chevrolet Spark, all-electric minicar scheduled to debut in the United States as a 2013 model next year and promoted as “the smallest diesel engine in the world in mass production,” recently debuted in India where it’s known as the Beat.
The Beat/Spark has a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine displacing less than a liter and is as rated, via Indian testing, at a 56.5 miles per gallon.
The 936cc engine has a fixed-geometry turbocharger and vacuum-operated wastegate, giving it an output of 58 horsepower and 111 pound-feet of torque. But it also has more unique statistics: the cars weighs 2,260 pounds and can advance from 0 to 62 mph/100 kilometers in a lowly 15.5 seconds.
The Chevy Beat Diesel also has four seats and five doors. It’s available in three trim levels and includes variable electric power steering. Alloy wheels, anti-lock brakes and airbags are offered as options.
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Article Last Updated: August 10, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to this site, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and a monthly auto review column for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, James has co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast since 2017.
