Remembering The Chevrolet Tavera | Chevy’s Best Selling Utility Vehicle

By
Ritvik Gupta
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6
Remembering The Chevrolet Tavera

Ask an Indian to name some cars from Chevrolet and he will list Cruze, Trailblazer and Sail. Ask him the most successful one, and Chevrolet Tavera will be the name for sure. The MPV from the American brand has been one of the most successful MPV in the country. It came in 2004, became the best selling brand of the company in 2010 and then something happened that led to the closure. Let’s take a look.

Isuzu Panther | But we were talking about Tavera na!

Chevrolet Tavera or Isuzu Panther?

Isuzu is a globally renowned brand known for SUVs, MPVs and offroading vehicles. But why did I jump from Tavera to Panther? Actually, Isuzu Panther was sold as Tavera in Indonesia and India. See, I don’t wanderlust while writing something! Chevrolet Tavera was launched in India back in 2004. Let’s take a look at the engine specs.

Chevrolet Tavera | Engine Specs
Engine 2.5-litre Turbo-diesel I-4
Power 73.4ps@3,900rpm
Torque 171Nm@1,800rpm
Fuel Mileage 14.8kmpl
0-100kmph 22.3sec

Chevrolet Tavera had a seating capacity of 10. It became an instant hit in the country as it was powerful, had a huge space and a good fuel efficiency. It had double wishbone suspension at the front while leaf springs at the rear. 0-100kmph was quite overwhelming but no one wants the MPV with 10 people seated inside flying down the roads! The cabin space was decent. You would have to spend ₹5-6 lakhs on the MPV.

Chevrolet Tavera Neo 2 | Source

In 2006, Chevrolet launched the Neo version of Tavera with minor design upgrades and the same engine. It gave tough competition to the Toyota Qualis, one of the best selling MPVs in the country.

2012: Chevrolet Tavera Neo 3 Launched

Chevrolet Tavera Neo 3

With the all-new front fascia and new features, Chevrolet launched Neo 3, a new-gen Tavera. It had a new 2.0-litre engine sourced from Sonalika in order to meet the BS4 norms. It was able to generate 107ps of power, an upgrade from the previous engine. Some of the major highlights include:

Interior Highlights
  • Captain seats in 2nd row.
  • Armrests and lumbar support for the second row.
  • 2/3 row air conditioning.
  • Rear window defogger.
  • Remote Keyless entry.
  • Central locking.
  • Power steering.
  • Power windows.
  • 12-volt power outlet.
  • Single-din audio system with AUX in.
  • 15-inch alloy wheels.
  • Front fog lamps.

2013: 1,14,000 units of Chevrolet Tavera Recalled!

General Motors (GM) recalled 1,14,000 units of Tavera as they were not compliant with the emission norms. As per reports, officials at GM misled the authorities about the emissions of Tavera. This led to the firing of GM’s powertrain division manager, Sam Winegarden. From here started the downfall of the successful MPV.

2017: Chevrolet leaves India

GM was never able to get a hold of the market after the emission norm blunder. The Tavera, even though being a good MPV, had to face the exit wraith. Indians lost a good choice in the MPV segment. What do you think about the MPV? Was it good enough and would you like it back in the Indian market? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also, read 9 Forgotten Chevrolet Cars in India, From Chevy Trailblazer to Beat