The Hindu Business Line : Tavera's decked-up Elite

BATTLING a slide in the image of the Chevrolet Tavera among potential individual car buyers, General Motors India has reworked the interiors of its multi-utility vehicle to infuse some feel of `premium-ness'. The move seems to have been driven by the increased competition from the Toyota Innova and will also be seen as an attempt at retaining some of the customers in the lower-priced MUV segment.

The changes are largely restricted to making the interiors of the Tavera more practical and luxurious. The changes will address some of the criticism that the Chevy MUV had faced for its tacky, plastic interiors. The previous Tavera's interiors offered users a lot of room but very few storage options and, worse, even the top-end variant felt far from luxurious , though it was priced at about Rs 10 lakh (on-road).

The new Tavera Elite (a suffix that GMI used earlier for the Corsa too) is the revamped version of this Chevy that is targeted at both the corporate fleet and the individual buyer. While the base B1 and B2 variants have been retained as it is and will continue to serve the taxi segment, the LS, LT (L1), LT (L2) and the SS get the Elite treatment and new badging. The LS variant is the erstwhile B3 variant that offered air-conditioning and power-steering as the options for entry-level individual buyers.

By revamping the interiors and clubbing together all the variants with power-steering as standard, GMI hopes to largely separate the focus customers (taxi and non-taxi) that the Tavera caters to. After the introduction of the Tavera Elite, only the LS variant with the ten-seat option will be targeted at the taxi operators. The LS and LT variants also continue to be available in Bharat Stage II compliant versions for non-metro buyers.

The major changes to the interiors of the Chevrolet Tavera include new seats that offer better lumbar and thigh support and feature new headrests. The upholstery has been changed to premium jacquard type for all the Elite variants except the SS variant, which has been given premium velour seat covers. The new wood finish instrument panel inserts now adorn the top — LT and SS — variants as do arm rests for the first and second row seats.

Power windows and central locking are standard in the two LT variants and in the fully-loaded SS. Features such as keyless entry and a new Alpine brand MP3, CD-player have also been added to the top-end SS variant to improve its appeal amongst individual car buyers. The interiors also get new features such as a fake leather-wrapped gearshift stick to match the new beige interior theme, a headlamp-levelling switch, in-dash digital clock, a broader and a more useful centre console extension storage panel that also includes two cup holders. Trendy new body stripes, dual-tone stickering, slap-on chrome covers for the outside rear-view mirrors and handles, and chrome outline panels for the tail-lamp cluster enhance the visual appeal of the Tavera Elite.

Other additions to the Tavera Elite LT and SS include flush full wheel covers for the former two and alloy wheels for the latter. A new dual-tone exterior paint theme called rainforest green and crystal mica has been introduced for the SS variant and new monotone colour called cashmere is now being offered for the lower trim variants.

The Tavera Elite (the Isuzu Panther in other markets in Asia) will continue to be offered with the same 2.5-litre direct injection turbo diesel engine that generates a maximum power of 80 PS at 3,900 rpm and a peak torque of 19 KgM at 1,800 rpm. The ex-showroom prices for the Tavera Elite will range from Rs 7.15 lakh for the LS BS II variant to Rs 10.05 lakh for the SS BS III variant.

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