http://www.carwale.com/news/Latest news updates on Indian car industry, expert views and interviews exclusively on CarWale.Copyright 2012 CarWaleCarWale RSS Generator6913http://www.carwale.com/news/6913-general-motors-plans-to-launch-chevrolet-beat-lpg-in-january-2011.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/6913-general-motors-plans-to-launch-chevrolet-beat-lpg-in-january-2011.htmlCarWale Team11/22/2010 7:47:46 PM3643http://img.carwale.com/ec/6913/img/m/6913_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/6913/img/m/6913_lIn a conversation last week with Mr. Karl Slym (President and Managing Director) & Mr. P. Balendran (Vice President) of General Motors India Ltd., we have learnt that General Motors will launch the much awaited Beat LPG in January 2011. The production lines are all geared up to produce this rather awaited small dual-fuel car and consumers who are keen on a Chevrolet small car but are keeping a close eye on running costs, can choose between the smaller Spark LPG or the newer and trendier Beat LPG. Chevrolet has really turned things around for the better with their 3 Year Chevrolet Promise which offers zero-headache maintenance for the Chevrolet small car range.

]]>In a conversation last week with Mr. Karl Slym (President and Managing Director) & Mr. P. Balendran (Vice President) of General Motors India Ltd., we have learnt that General Motors will launch the much awaited Beat LPG in January 2011. The production lines are all geared up to produce this rather awaited small dual-fuel car and consumers who are keen on a Chevrolet small car but are keeping a close eye on running costs, can choose between the smaller Spark LPG or the newer and trendier Beat LPG. Chevrolet has really turned things around for the better with their 3 Year Chevrolet Promise which offers zero-headache maintenance for the Chevrolet small car range.


In the meanwhile, their newly inaugurated Talegaon Flexi-Line powertrain plant will first start manufacturing petrol engines followed by the small diesel engine which is the one that will power the Beat. The diesel Beat is all set to be powered by a One Litre, 3-Cylinder common-rail turbocharged engine from the Fiat-GM uniJet (JTD) engine range, albeit minus a cylinder and we reckon the engine will produce about 65bhp. The beauty of the newly opened flexi-engine line is that General Motors can produce a mix-and-match of whatever type of engine they want in the numbers they’d like. At the moment they will be producing 1.6Lakh engines but have an additional capacity of 1.4Lakh engines, should they need to ramp up the production.

Currently the Talegaon car plant has a production capacity of 1.4Lakh units and additional 1.6Lakh units as expansion should they need it, so the engine plant and the car plant are perfectly complemented with a total of 3Lakh units per annum each, post expansion. General Motors India Ltd. also plan to use this new engine facility as their export base for the small new diesel engine since this is the only facility in the world which will manufacture this particular variant of the JTD engine.

With General Motors India Ltd. rapidly expanding with six new launches in the next two years, they are converting their Halol facility in Gujarat to a commercial vehicle production hub from 85,000units to 1Lakh units, and are shifting all car production to Talegaon. These six new launches will come in a total of 14 fuel variants, which means that General Motors is betting big on diesel and alternate fuel for their new products. Their investment in bio-diesel (Jathropa) research and testing will prove quite useful. With their new dealership and service outlet expansion (read recent report) General Motors India sure looks like it’s on the right track with GM almost tripling their network from 80 to close to 240.

So what exactly are the new launches then? Well, there are two LCV’s (one a pickup and the second a van), a hatchback, a notchback, a small car and an SUV. (Read earlier post). While we had all hoped for the all-new Aveo just launched at the Paris Motorshow, it’s not going to make it here just yet. And neither is Cadillac! General Motors India Ltd. believes that a 90% localization of parts is critical to its success in such a growing and fiercely competitive market, which is why they are stating a 24month timeframe to launch all these new models. The first quarter of 2011 will also see the new facelifted Chevrolet Tavera with a BS IV compliant engine from ICML. This will be a 2Litre common rail turbodiesel engine producing 120bhp. They will also showcase an all new Chevrolet Electric mini-car in April 2011, standing firm on their commitment to have more environmentally friendly products. There’s also a fair chance that the ever-popular Chevrolet Spark may come with smaller engines making it significantly more competitive in the small car space. Stay tuned for more.

]]>6847http://www.carwale.com/news/6847-general-motors-indias-october-2010-sales-grow-by-36-percent.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/6847-general-motors-indias-october-2010-sales-grow-by-36-percent.htmlCarWale Team11/1/2010 5:20:17 PM2563http://img.carwale.com/ec/6847/img/m/6847_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/6847/img/m/6847_lGeneral Motors India has registered a growth of 36% in sales in October 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 10051 units in October 2010 against 7413 units in October 2009. The October 2010 sales comprised 3251 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 3021 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1594 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 957 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 405 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 328 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 333 units of Chevrolet Optra and 162 units of the Chevrolet Captiva.

]]>General Motors India has registered a growth of 36% in sales in October 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 10051 units in October 2010 against 7413 units in October 2009. The October 2010 sales comprised 3251 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 3021 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1594 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 957 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 405 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 328 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 333 units of Chevrolet Optra and 162 units of the Chevrolet Captiva.

The increase in the sales was primarily driven by the response to Chevrolet Cruze, Beat and Spark. Commenting on the performance, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, "We are excited by the continued overwhelming response to Chevrolet Cruze, Beat and Spark.  Introduction of best-in-segment cars from the 300 series, increase in customer outreach through distribution network, our unique value proposition like Chevrolet Cashless Ownership offer and our promise to deliver quality and performance are the factors that have led to the impressive sales."

]]>6413http://www.carwale.com/news/6413-gm-registers-34-percent-sales-growth-in-august.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/6413-gm-registers-34-percent-sales-growth-in-august.htmlCarWale Team9/1/2010 2:14:31 PM1595http://img.carwale.com/ec/6413/img/m/6413_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/6413/img/m/6413_lGeneral Motors India has registered a sales growth of 34% in August 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 7941 units in August 2010 against 5939 units in August 2009. The August 2010 sales comprised 2481 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 2475 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1438 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 724 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 325 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 240 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 176 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 82 units of Chevrolet Optra.

]]>General Motors India has registered a sales growth of 34% in August 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 7941 units in August 2010 against 5939 units in August 2009. The August 2010 sales comprised 2481 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 2475 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1438 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 724 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 325 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 240 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 176 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 82 units of Chevrolet Optra.

The increase in the sales was primarily driven by the response to Chevrolet Beat, Cruze and Spark. Commenting on the performance, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, "We are excited by the continued overwhelming response to Chevrolet Beat, Spark and Cruze. Introduction of best-in-segment cars from the 300 series, increase in customer outreach through distribution network, our unique value proposition like Chevrolet Cashless Ownership offer and our promise to deliver quality and performance are the factors that have led to the impressive sales."

The Chevrolet Spark and the Beat demonstrate next generation styling and it might just be the reason why it has struck a chord with the young crowd in India. GM has been working on alternate fuels and we sure hope that the Beat Diesel and the LPG versions are launched soon.

]]>6320http://www.carwale.com/news/6320-maruti-suzuki-india-unveils-cng-technology-in-five-cars.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/6320-maruti-suzuki-india-unveils-cng-technology-in-five-cars.htmlCarWale Team8/13/2010 7:26:44 PM16907http://img.carwale.com/ec/6320/img/m/6320_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/6320/img/m/6320_lMaruti Suzuki India Limited today unveiled its flagship CNG engine technology, ‘intelligent-Gas Port Injection’ or i-GPI on five popular models. With Independence Day around the corner, Maruti Suzuki India Limited sure has taken a giant leap to spread the message of 'Go Green' in the country. The CNG vehicles were unveiled by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) Environment and Forests. The models include the Maruti Suzuki SX4, Eeco, WagonR, Estilo and Alto and are being launched in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Gujrat.

]]>Maruti Suzuki India Limited today unveiled its flagship CNG engine technology, ‘intelligent-Gas Port Injection’ or i-GPI on five popular models. With Independence Day around the corner, Maruti Suzuki India Limited sure has taken a giant leap to spread the message of 'Go Green' in the country. The CNG vehicles were unveiled by Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) Environment and Forests. The models include the Maruti Suzuki SX4, Eeco, WagonR, Estilo and Alto and are being launched in Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Gujrat.

Maruti Suzuki India Chairman RC Bhargava said, "We are happy to bring contemporary CNG technology to the Indian customer. We are confident customers would value our i-GPI technology that is safe, reliable, clean, responsive and environment friendly."

Having launched the Alto K10, there was a brief moment when everybody thought if the production of the old version of the Alto would be stopped, but with this cracker of an idea, we come to know how strong a grip on the nerve of the Indian car market.

The i-GPI or Intelligent Gas Port Injection bi-fuel technology ensures more power through  retro-fitted CNG vehicles and offer a peppier ride experience similar to that of a petrol-fuelled engine, while achieving high fuel efficiency at the same time. The factory fitted CNG vehicles passed through all the quality checks, processes and systems similar to a regular car manufactured at Maruti Suzuki plants.

The i-GPI technology uses separate injectors for each cylinder. Based on inputs from the ECU, metered CNG quantity is injected to the engine through gas ports. The quantity of CNG required for different driving conditions is controlled by the dedicated ECU, leading to more efficient fuel usage.

Shinzo Nakanishi Managing Director & CEO Maruti Suzuki India said, "The development is significant on multiple counts. This is the first instance when a car manufacturer has developed and launched factory-fitted technologically superior CNG engines in India."

Maruti has literally attacked the cars in all the segments, right from the 7-seater to the small cars to its much loved sedan. With the CNG versions out, Maruti Suzuki India have taken a step closer not only to save the environment but also has made things tougher for the rest of the manufacturers in India.

The cost of the models are as follows:

Name	Petrol (Rs Lakh)	CNG (Rs Lakh)
Alto Lxi	2.78	3.23
Estilo Lxi	3.55	4.05
WagonR Lxi	3.61	4.11
Eeco (AC + 5 seater)	3.09	3.64
SX4 Vxi	6.92	7.47

The Alto will prove to be a competition to the newly launched Nissan Micra. The Estilo and the Wagon R would fall in the same category. As regards the SX4, it will compete with the recently launched Chevrolet Aveo CNG. The manufacturers sure are taking care that global warming does not reach the next level but they are intensifying the heat as regards the competition.

]]>6192http://www.carwale.com/news/6192-general-motors-indias-july-2010-sales-grow-by-45.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/6192-general-motors-indias-july-2010-sales-grow-by-45.htmlCarWale Team8/2/2010 1:27:37 PM2619http://img.carwale.com/ec/6192/img/m/6192_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/6192/img/m/6192_lGeneral Motors India registered a sales growth of 45% in July 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. The July 2010 sales comprised 2244 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 1722 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1546 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 639 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 375 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 240 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 225 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 133 units of Chevrolet Optra.

]]>General Motors India registered a sales growth of 45% in July 2010, compared to the corresponding period last year. The July 2010 sales comprised 2244 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 1722 units of Chevrolet Beat, 1546 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 639 units of the Chevrolet Cruze, 375 Units of Chevrolet Aveo, 240 units of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA, 225 units of the Chevrolet Captiva and 133 units of Chevrolet Optra.

The increase in the sales was primarily driven by the response to Chevrolet Beat, Cruze and Spark. Commenting on the performance, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, "There were some delivery constraints for certain models in July due to annual maintenance shutdown of the plant. With the operation back to normal, we should be able to clear the backlog this month."

Having sold 3,00,000 cars in the country already, Chevrolet will look forward to another successful year in India.

]]>3619http://www.carwale.com/news/3619-chevrolet-spark-bags-the-top-j-d-power-awards-for-quality-in-2009.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/3619-chevrolet-spark-bags-the-top-j-d-power-awards-for-quality-in-2009.htmlCarWale Team11/27/2009 3:20:23 PM4303http://img.carwale.com/ec/3619/img/m/3619_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/3619/img/m/3619_lThe Chevrolet Spark has won the top award for quality for the third consecutive year in the India Automotive Initial Quality Study announced by J.D Power Asia Pacific 2009.  This is the third year in a row that the Spark has bagged this prestigious award. The Chevrolet Tavera has bagged the second position in the MUV / MPV category while the Aveo U-VA was ranked third  in the Premium Compact Segment in the face of equally stiff competition.

]]>The Chevrolet Spark has won the top award for quality for the third consecutive year in the India Automotive Initial Quality Study announced by J.D Power Asia Pacific 2009.  This is the third year in a row that the Spark has bagged this prestigious award. The Chevrolet Tavera has bagged the second position in the MUV / MPV category while the Aveo U-VA was ranked third  in the Premium Compact Segment in the face of equally stiff competition.

Commenting on the multiple wins for Chevrolet, Mr. P. Balendran, Vice President, GM India said, “We will continue to leverage the momentum gained this far and build on the inherent strengths of our products in the future also.”

]]>3279http://www.carwale.com/news/3279-chevrolet-september-2009-sales-figures.htmlhttp://www.carwale.com/news/3279-chevrolet-september-2009-sales-figures.htmlCarWale Team10/6/2009 1:39:09 PM3690http://img.carwale.com/ec/3279/img/m/3279_mhttp://img.carwale.com/ec/3279/img/m/3279_lGeneral Motors India has registered a record growth of 49% in sales in September 2009, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 7,654 units against 5,154 units in September last year, making this the highest-ever monthly sales figure achieved by GM India since its inception.

]]>General Motors India has registered a record growth of 49% in sales in September 2009, compared to the corresponding period last year. It sold 7,654 units against 5,154 units in September last year, making this the highest-ever monthly sales figure achieved by GM India since its inception.

The September 2009 sales comprise of 4,706 units of the Chevrolet Spark, 1,329 units of the Chevrolet Tavera, 753 units of Aveo U-VA, 424 units of Aveo, 319 units of Chevrolet Optra and 123 units of the Chevrolet Captiva. The Chevrolet Spark has registered the highest sales ever since the introduction of the car to the Indian market registering a growth of 128% compared to the corresponding period last year.

]]>