Chevrolet Tavera Neo 3 Max -7 STR BS-III

General Motors’ Innova-competitor, the Chevrolet Tavera utility vehicle, will again be available across the top 13 cities in the country after one-and-a-half years. The difference, the availability of a Bharat Stage (BS) IV-compliant version. The carmaker has launched the Tavera Neo 3 BS IV priced between Rs 7.51 lakh and Rs 10.34 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Only available with a BS III engine till now, the Tavera had stopped selling in the 13 cities after these regions moved to the BS IV emission norms from September 2010.

This prompted GM India to then work on a modified version of a 2 litre diesel power plant with Delhi-based Sonalika (International Cars & Motors Ltd). "GM engineers carried out an extensive upgrade of the popular Tavera based on customer feedback,” said the GM India President and Managing Director, Mr Lowell Paddock. Other changes to the new Tavera include larger clear lens headlamps, dual-tone body color and chrome garnished front grille and fog lamp housings for a more premium appeal.  GM India had been scouting around for a fresh powertrain that could not only meet the latest emissions regulations, but which was also low on cost and cheap to maintain.

This didn’t leave many options, and the company eventually found a rather obscure solution – the 2.0-litre common-rail diesel that powers the ambiguous ICML-Sonalika Rhino. However, the pedigree of the engine isn’t that bad. It’s a Rover engine that ICML manufactures at its plant in Hoshiapur in Uttar Pradesh. It’s a relatively uncomplicated motor – it uses a two-valve per cylinder, single overhead camshaft layout, but also has piezo injectors that support upto four injections per cycle and inject fuel at a pressure of upto 1600bar. Though the Tavera and Rhino have similar body styles and are used for the same applications, wiggling the new engine into the Chevy’s engine bay was no easy task.

This engine was originally intended for a transverse layout in a Rover, and GM had a considerable challenge tweaking the noise, vibration and harshness package to suit its longitudinal application in the Tavera. New engine mounts had to be designed; the cooling package had to be improved and all this had to be done within the existing constraints of the Tavera’s engine bay. Other challenges came from the fact that the previous BS III motor had its air intake on the right of the engine, and the common-rail one has its on the left. This made the accommodation of the turbocharger and exhaust manifold even more complicated.