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-   -   Chevrolet Sail U-VA : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/127935-chevrolet-sail-u-va-official-review-21.html)

For whatever reasons Government has not put up that crash norm requirement or the car manufacturers not putting up those essentials, I wouldn't want to be caught up dead in an accident.

yes I am assuming that Indian Version of Liva and Etios are not following any kind of crash requirements. Remember Indian ETIOS was launched first and there was significant time difference (More than a year) in launching Etios in Latin America which surely was time taken to put up a crash-norm compliant specifications. Not just Etios but i10, Swift,A-Star, i20 also have different specs for different markets.

One way to identify whether there has been any specification or weight taken out is comparing the Kerb-Weight for Petrol cars from Indian version against the crash norm compliant versions. After-all the whole point of cost-cutting is to cut down on weight.

In any case let us put up that weight comparison of all these cars, which will easily identify whether there are any changes in specs as far as crash-norms go.

when I say Honest I mean there would not be two specs in the case of Renault and Nissan simply because (it seems) there is not enough Indian volume to justify a new spec. So even if it is 2 star NCAP, It would remain two -Star NCAP in India as well. Essentially you still get their global specs despite the fact that their global specs might not be the best in competition. This is not the case with Suzuki/Hyundai (for A-Star, Swift, Ritz/i10,i20) and maybe for Toyota (for ETIOS-LIVA). Once we put up that weight comparison it will become crystal clear.

By the way The Nissan Micra (March) which is mentioned in your 'Indianautosblog' link seems an old generation Micra and not the latest Nissan Micra which is in India. Euro-NCAP has a 4-Star rating on Nissan Micra . Read it here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nissan_Micra

Thanks GTO, I always thought many of us were going OT and was feeling uncomfortable with that!

Dropped by the Chevy showroom yesterday. Saw the U-VA TCDI in flesh inside out. First impression, it's a well put together vehicle, just like its siblings. Acres of space inside, almost "sedan class". Very comfortable seating position both at the front(especially) and the rear. The interiors are well designed, it just needs darker trims and upholstery. Give us a "Black Edition" of this Chevy! The instrument cluster and specially the dials looks cool at night. Large wheel-wells makes the car look severely under-tyred.

However, it reminded me squarely of the outgoing Aveo-UVA numerous times. I had been at Speed Chevrolet in late 2010 and where this SAIL was stationed, there used to be a AVEO-UVA displayed. It had the same qualities of this new car, well put together, very generous on space and acceptable interiors. But a lack lusture petrol engine and dated exterior looks would shoo people away. To make matters worse, bang opposite was this cramped little funky Beat (there still is) which seemed alien technology in comparison, the Diesel Rocket stationed beside with a glare that would make the Sail-UVA hide behind a curtain, the cute little Sparky that with one "wink" will draw all your attention towards it, heck even the Tavera looked modern beside the U-VA.

Yes, it is a given that the Sail U-VA ticks most of the boxes in the correct places. Yet, I got this feeling that it would have a hard time trying to draw customer's attention from the Beat and Spark. The maroon Cruze standing beside imposingly makes the U-VA look even more dated than it actually is.

Move out of the showroom and the competition levels up alarmingly, the new Swift and fluidic i20 shows their flares, arches and swooping lines in character and are a feast to the eyes. If cars were sold purely on looks, the Sail would not have moved from the assembly line.

For a layman, the Sail looks like a face-lifted AVEO-UVA. Chevy needs to send a clear message that it ain't the case. The current TV commercial is vague. With the glaring example of the "Indica" badge hurting the competent and radically different "Vista", is it a lesson not learnt for GMI?

Frankly, I'm not surprised that I have not come across a single Sail-UVA on the streets yet.



Funny take:
SAIL U-VA is banking on buyers who are mostly on the "wrong side of the thirties". Looking for acres of space from a compact car to nestle his family of 4 in comfort and a diesel heart for economy. He is a sedate person, totally content with his life and often tends to shy away from social interactions. He is no automobile enthusiast and doesn't bother about technicalities and underpinnings. Will most likely employ a chauffeur.

Bang on!!

+1 to your views.

GM should have got rid of the U-VA name altogether. It's also surprising that GM, which has given us the gorgeous & aggressive Cruze, Futuristic looking Beat went ahead with the dated looks of SAIL U-VA.

But if going by the reviews & initial impressions, this car should do decent numbers. The engine is a gem.

No activity on a thread of a newly launched hatchback in India!? Didn't expect an upheaval in the hatchback segment but atleast thought Chevrolet's 3 year Promise could net in some customers.

Not even one car in Delhi, where highest number of cars are sold. Or is it that people are waiting for deliveries, as it was launched only on 2nd November. Anyone on Team BHP booked one? Looking forward to ownership reviews of purportedly the best tuned Multijet diesel aka National engine.

Can anyone tell what does the voice in the background tune say in the TV ad? - It sounds like 'Liva' to me!

The voiceover says: "Introducing the new Chevrolet Sail Uva (pronounced YUVA), when life gives you more." Yes, initially I also thought they are talking about Liva. :D

I think you mistook the female voice in the background jingle for the punchline. This is quite inane but I heard the ad again today morning and the female voice in the background jingle I believe says 'Need more'. Chevrolet will definitely need more bookings, atleast after the initial spike.

Yes, and mind you, Delhi has had a very healthy number of AVEO UVAs unlike most other metros. If Chevy can't bring back customers here, then SAIL has sunk in harbor itself.

does the Sail come with the same but tuned S-TEC II engine as that of Beat?

if so i wish,chevrolet would be kind enough to give those settings for Beat owners too.

the Sail has 86ps and torque of 113Nm while Beat has 80ps and torque of 104Nm

guess it might not be as easy as it sounds:)

Do you know the same line is copy-pasted with attribution into chevrolet's "corporate sales" brochure (or whatever it is!) pdf!! Team-BHP is going places!

Seems like all the marketing hasn't worked.

The only time I saw the Sail after the media-drive was at the dealership 2 minutes from home and just after it was launched. I haven't spotted a single one on the road yet. I wonder what the issue could be. Perhaps the inflated price-tag? Had it been 40k cheaper, would it have done well? Somehow, i don't think so.

I agree. The first and only time I saw the Sail was when someone was test driving or probably driving it to showroom from the stockyard. It didnt have any sort of reg plates. Not even the 'TC' plates.
Is this another Chevy SR-V in the making? ?

I believe it basically has to do with looks, certain budget car feel like PW switches on the console etc. May be this will trigger a much better pricing for the sedan version. Since Amaze's first reports are out, next launches in the segment will be carefully priced I guess.

I still think they did a big mistake by NOT bringing in Sonic twins. GM, you missed a huge opportunity.

Looks could be a factor. But there are cars in India that sell despite looking hideous. Thing is, it's purely subjective so it's hard to come to that conclusion?

I'd say it has more to do with image than looks. It is perhaps perceived to be a budget offing? Maybe the U-VA tag is shooing people away from it? I had a feeling that the U-VA tag would probably blow up in their face.

They explicitly mentioned that the Sonic twins would be too expensive to localize, assemble and sell in India and that profits would take a hit. Well, at least they would probably sell given the appeal they carry!