|
|
|
|
| 
Subscribe to
Posts [Atom] |
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
 Basking in its recently acquired glory of high February sales, American car manufacturing giant GM revealed an interest to introduce its most popular international models, Camaro and Corvette, in India. Timothy E Lee, president, international operations of General Motors, recently said that popular cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and Camaro will be brought to India and sold in select boutique showrooms in small numbers, as these cars will be imported as Complete Built Units (CBU) and the import duties will be high. Lee said, “The import duty required to sell the other kinds of Chevy vehicles like Corvette or Camaro is quite extensive to do it for the buying public. We will have a boutique offering for those kinds of brands but those will never be the volume products for India. Every one of those products will create its own space in India, but it will be very small in numbers”. When GM displayed its American muscle car, Chevrolet Camaro, at the 2010 Auto Expo, it denied any plans of bringing it to India. It is certain now that Camaro and Corvette are India bound, however, GM officials are reluctant to reveal any details about a likely launch date. Recently the 100,000th Camaro was rolled off the assembly line and assigned its Vehicle Identification Number in the U.S. Chevrolet has so far kept its car line-up pretty limited, with most of them being small cars and a few SUV’s ( Captiva and Tavera) and executive segment cars like Optra and the recently launched Cruze sedan. Recently launched Cruze and Beat have proved to be the wild cards for Chevrolet since their launch last year. A brand which was fast losing its grip to other competing cars in the Indian market has revived itself with these new launches. GM has been on a roll in the past few months, at least in India, and it plans to continue to satisfy the Indian car buyers with new offerings. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed to see these iconic cars like that of Camaro and Corvette tread in India pretty soon.  Labels: Camaro, Chevrolet, Chevrolet-Camaro, Chevrolet-Corvette, Chevrolet-Cruze, Corvette, General-Motors, GM, Muscle-Cars
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
 General Motors India has launched the Automatic Transmission version of its latest luxury sedan, Chevrolet Cruze. Chevrolet Cruze AT features a 6-speed tiptonic automatic Transmission unit. When the manual version of the Chevrolet Cruze was launched in October 2009, expectations were high, and it gave us a ten-on-ten. It redefined the D-segment with its well-designed proportions, luxurious interiors and class leading features. The recently launched automatic version of Chevrolet Cruze with the 6-speed tiptonic automatic Transmission unit will be offered on the LTZ variant. Again GM India has kept in mind the needs of the customer and upped its quotient with a slew of features such as PEPS, Push Button Start, Cruise Control, Smart Screen and Electric Sunroof among others. The 6-speed automatic in the Chevy Cruze offers a very sporty drive for its customers. That’s not all; it includes clutch-to-clutch shift operation for high precision and smooth shifting between the gears. The wide spread ratio with the first gear ensures a brisk acceleration from the top while the sixth gear has an overdrive ratio that maintains the engine revolutions as low as possible for highway cruising and optimum fuel economy. The other feature that is a major advantage of the automatic Cruze is that it used premium fluids in the transmission that does not need replacement during normal use. In addition to the exciting six colors already on offer, the automatic version of Cruze will be available in a special 3 coat paint called White Diamond. So people who found the heavy manual transmission of Cruze a little cumbersome to handle can now run to the showrooms and lay their hands on the more efficient and easy to handle automatic one. Chevrolet already has a fan following of its own. And after the Cruze was launched, people only became more in love with the brand. Since its launch last year, Chevy Cruze has been receiving rave reviews and auto journalists who have test driven it have rated it as the best so far in its segment. The Cruze AT is priced at Rs 13.45 lakh (ex showroom, Delhi). Labels: 6-Speed-Tiptonic, Automatic-Transmission, Chevrolet-Cruze, Chevy-Cruze, Cruise-Control, General-Motors, GM-India
Friday, 22 January 2010
 Chevy Beat is in the Indian market and how? After its launch just a day before the commencement of the 10th Auto Expo, Chevy Beat has been the centre of attraction anywhere it is seen. The parent company General Motors is quite happy about this car which saw its global launch here in India.GM hopes that their Beat breaks into the sales charts of the country as a top grossing model pretty soon. GM which is contemplating to sell at least 5000 units of the Beat per month is heavily banking on the North Indian sales as the North Indian market alone accounts for about 40 per cent of all small cars sales in India. So it’s quite evident that GM hopes to sell 1,600-1,700 units of the Beat in the North Indian region alone. The deliveries of the cars would start from January-end or early February. It must be noted that the Chevrolet Beat was put through over a million km of durability tests in extreme weather conditions and crash tests both in India and abroad to prove its utility on Indian roads. The beat has been launched in three variants viz. Beat PS, LS and LT, carrying price tags (ex-showroom) of Rs 3.34 lakh, Rs 3.54 lakh and Rs 3.94 lakh respectively.  Beat will be launched in 170 countries around the world, including Europe, Asia and North America. Besides this, GM also has ambitious plans lined up for India and will soon foray in to the commercial vehicle market in India by launching light vans and pickups in a collaboration with a Chinese automaker. Labels: Chevrolet-Beat, General-Motors, New-Car-Launch, Small-Cars
Friday, 15 January 2010
General Motors has earmarked India as a strategic market. It has introduced the Beat under its Chevrolet brand and has unveiled the e-Spark which will hit Indian roads by October. Now, the beleaguered car maker is involved in a project involving a new car model that would be built from scratch in India by 2011-12. This car would be developed almost entirely in the country, using the technical expertise and know-how of GM India's design studio in Bangalore. If rumours have to be believed, then this car is going to be a compact car which will be fuel-efficient and eco-friendly. Moreover, this car is likely to be positioned below the Chevrolet Spark. General Motors India will also foray into the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment in the country next year with three LCV variants as part of its joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The company will also start production of petrol engines in the mid-fourth quarter of this year from its powertrain facility in Talegaon. The production of petrol engines would be followed by diesel engines and the company would manufacture 1.6 lakh units in the first phase. Besides, General Motors India will export newly-launched Beat to markets in Europe and Asia Pacific after a year of production. Labels: Chevrolet-Beat, E-Spark, General-Motors, General-Motors-India
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
What would you have done if you have loads of money with you and you are the boss of Formula One? Try getting in line to buy a car firm of course. Yes, that’s exactly what Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone is trying to do. He wants to buy the struggling car firm Saab and breathe life into it. In this process Bernie has tied up with the Luxembourg based investment company Genii Capital to launch a takeover bid. Ever since the Motown meltdown started, GM in a bid to go leaner and meaner has put their Swedish car brand Saab for sale to try to slash the debts that they are in. Saab is a car brand that has been neglected by the GM and Bernie also is echoing in the same sentiment. Though a clear picture of Bernie’s involvement in the bid process has not been revealed officially, it is said to at around £ 2.3 billion. Whoa, that’s a huge sum you say. Not a problem if you are the F1 boss. Genii Capital, who are also tied up with Bernie for this bid and who have invested in Renault’s F1 racing team last month in a statement said that they were aggressively working towards a successful closing of the transaction and clinch the car firm. But the race for Saab is getting better and better with Dutch car firm Spykar, who also have F1 connections running in to get Saab. Spykar had bought the former Jordan and Midland teams to form their own F1 team before selling the team to Force India at the end of 2007 season. Spykar is also trying aggressively to launching their own winning bid for Saab. Meanwhile General Motors wants to concentrate on their core brands such as Chevrolet and in this regard GM boss Ed Whitacre has made clear his desire to get rid of Saab. He was quoted saying last week “Just show up with money and you can have it”. GM also has threatened to close Saab if their year-long search for potential buyers proves fruitless. Labels: Bernie-Ecclestone, Chevrolet, Force- India, Formula-One, General-Motors, Saab, Spykar
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
General Motors India increased the prices of its four models by 0.5 to 1.5 per cent with effect from Jan 5th to offset the steep rise in input costs. GM blames the price hike on the increasing input cost on essential raw materials like steel, rubber and aluminium. The price rise is applicable on Chevy models such as the Spark, Aveo, Cruze, and Tavera. But the good news is that the prices of Captiva, Optra and Aveo U-Va will not be increased taking into account the market feedback. General Motor of India makes eight models in the domestic market--the hatchbacks the Spark and Aveo UVA, the Aveo, Optra and Cruze in the sedan category, SUV Captiva, and MUV Tavera and the just-launched Beat in the small car. Another American car company Ford also joined the price hike fest with GM on its models in India. Ford India had said that it will hike the prices of all its models to offset pressure from higher input costs and exchange rate fluctuations from January 1. The company will raise prices between Rs 6,000-Rs 40,000 across its product range. Ford India produces Ikon, Fusion, Fiesta and sport-utility vehicle Endeavour at its factory near Chennai. Some leading automobile majors like Skoda India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor and Fiat had earlier announced that they will hike prices from January. Czech car-maker Skoda India will raise prices from Rs 10,000-20,000 from January on all of its models sold here in India. Toyota Kirloskar Motor also upped the prices of three of its key models - Innova, Corolla Altis and Fortuner by up to 2 per cent from January 1. Fiat also has increased prices of two of its cars, the Linea and the Grande Punto by 2-2.5 per cent owing to increasing input costs. The prices would go up by about Rs 15,000 on an average and upto Rs 25,000 for some of the versions. Prices of base metal copper has risen more than 130 per cent this year and is on course to record its biggest annual increase in more than 30 years. Aluminium rates jumped to USD2,165.25 a tonne, its highest level since October 2008. Price of silver, which is also used by the automobile industry in a small way, has risen by 1.4 per cent to $19.34 an ounce. Labels: Car-Price-Rise, Ford-India, General-Motors, Toyota-Kirloskar-Motor
Wednesday, 16 December 2009
India is going to add more cars for its domestic market. With Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation Group (SAIC) joining hands with General Motors, the players in the Indian small car market are getting another competitor. This is the second time that a Chinese auto maker is venturing to Indian car market after the Zotye Autos, which brought in the Rio in collaboration with India’s Premier Auto. The company formed out of this joint partnership has been named as General Motors SAIC Investment Limited (GMSIL) which is based in Hong Kong. SAIC and General Motors are exploring the viable options for them in the Indian car market and they feel that launching an entry-level low-cost car will help them get a foot hold of the Indian car market. Moreover, they will roll out a compact car in India too. The compact car will be placed below the Chevrolet Spark and will cost around Rs 2 Lakh. However, it has been revealed that GMSIL has no immediate plans for its entry-level low cost car for the Indian market. When it will be launched, it will surely be rolled out from General Motors India’s Talegaon unit and would be exported to other emerging markets also. The formation of this joint venture will help GM India take SAIC’s expertise in manufacturing cost-effective small cars and vans in China and use it to develop suitable products for the domestic market here in India. The first offering from this partnership will be a passenger mini van in India. Later, GMSIL will also look at introducing other SAIC products including Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs). Carazoo.com would like to mention that SAIC’s product line-up in China ranges from low-cost small cars and multipurpose vehicles to expensive sedans. SAIC sells the Roewe brand of cars and a premium-end sports coupe under the MG brand. Under its partnership with GM, it manufactures and sells GM’s Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Saab brands. Labels: General-Motors, General-Motors-SAIC-Investment-Limited, Shanghai-Automotive-Industry-Corporation-Group
Friday, 4 December 2009
Volkswagen has overtaken Toyota to become the world's largest car manufacturer, thanks largely to a merger with Porsche AG. The German car maker has produced 4.4 million automobiles so far this year, outstripping its Japanese rival which has seen four million cars roll off production lines since January. But, Volkswagen reached this milestone by taking over Porsche and Porsche became the tenth brand in the Volkswagen familys. Hence, the combined entity VW-Porsche built 4.4 million cars to date this year and stripped Toyota of its first place as the largest auto maker. The change may not be permanent as the Japanese behemoth has the capacity to make 10 million vehicles a year and due to a slowing global economy it has decided to half its production this year. General Motors was once the world's largest car maker for 80 years until it filed for bankruptcy and Toyota emerged as the number one car maker in 2009. Moreover, this is not for the first time that Volkswagen has achieved a major milestone; last year it overtook Ford Motors to conquer the third position in global sales. While Toyota went on to benefit from US government's cash-for-clunkers programme, the German auto major benefited even more from similar programmes in operation in Europe. In China, Volkswagen shot past Toyota as the Chinese government attempted to boost demand by cutting back taxes on car sales. Labels: Ford-Motors, General-Motors, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen
Friday, 20 November 2009
Of late, India has cemented its place as the hottest destination for auto makers across the world. Car manufacturers invested on the growing Indian car market and they are now reaping the harvest of their investments. Japanese Suzuki Motor Corporation has emerged as the largest car maker of India with its Indian arm, Maruti Suzuki. Suzuki trebled its full-year global net income forecast on the back of strong Indian operations, despite sluggish sales overseas. While home market Japan as well as European countries contracted for Suzuki, India remained the only market to grow, with first half sales here moving up by 24 per cent at 4.7 lakh units against 3.8 lakh units in the corresponding period. Ten year old Korean car company Hyundai follows the Japanese car behemoth in this regard. It has a capacity of producing around 6 lakh units, half of which service export markets. The company has earmarked India as one of the hubs for manufacture of models like i10, i20 and Santro and sells India-made cars to over 100 countries. While developed markets in Europe and US remain under pressure, operations in India have been gradually growing. The company's cumulative sales in January-October 2009 period have grown by 12 per cent year-on-year at 4.57 lakh units (4.07 lakh) with domestic sales up 11 per cent at 2.39 lakh units and exports up 13 per cent at 2.17 lakh units. Honda too gets a sizeable portion of its revenues, sales and profits from its Indian subsidiary. It will bring its proposed small car for India by 2011. Beleaguered General Motors has its business flowing only in India in these hard times with its Chevrolet brand. Volkswagen, Fiat and Ford are expanding in India. While Nissan and Renault are trying to establish a firmer grip in the market shares and are coming with a low-cost car. Labels: Chevrolet, General-Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Indian-car-market, Maruti-Suzuki, Suzuki-Motor-Corporation
Monday, 16 November 2009
General Motors has decided to relaunch the Buick Regal. This luxury sports sedan will go on sale by the middle of next year in the US. The Buick Regal debuted in the year 1973 and General Motors has stopped producing this car for the US market in 2004, but the model continued in China. The new Buick Regal will deliver a driving experience that rivals the best import sport sedans in the segment like the Acura TSX and Volvo S60. The 2011 Regal will be available with a choice of turbocharged 2.0-litre and normally aspirated 2.4-litre petrol engine. Both the engines are mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission and there are three driving modes, normal, touring and sport, to optimise the car’s dynamics the way the driver wants. The 2.0L engine will deliver a powerful horsepower of 220bhp and the 2.4L can derive a horsepower of 182 bhp. The new Regal will run on 18-inch alloy wheels and comes with high-end audio and navigation systems as standard equipment. Suspension is MacPherson strut at the front and four-link independent set-up at the back as well as all-wheel disc brakes with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Brake Assist System (BAS), traction control and stability control come as standard features. Moreover, twin front airbags are standard, while side curtain airbags and rear seat airbags are optional. The Buick Regal has been developed in Germany. General Motors says it will continue to refine and develop the Buick brand for its North American and Chinese markets. General Motors has no plans to bring the Buick nameplate in India. Instead it will concentrate on its existing Chevrolet brand in the country. Labels: Chevrolet-Cars, General-Motors, Volvo-S60
Monday, 12 October 2009
Finally, a sigh of relief for the Hummer fans, and the company, General Motors, is now successful in selling off its all-time favourite model. There were many who thought that Hummer would have a destiny similar to that of Penske-Saturn, which collapsed last week. But now the future of Hummer seems to be bright with General Motors signing sale agreement with China's Tengzhong. Even though there still are matters that need to settled, such as securing the final financing and passing regulatory approval, at least for the time being, things seem to have settled down. Formally known as Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Corp., Tengzhong is a Chinese firm. And it has been months since the company is trying to buy out the Hummer. Tengzhong also has plans for the Hummer, it might operate the headquarters of Hummer near Detroit. Michigan's $20.6 million state tax credit has played a great part in persuading the company to take up such a decision. And the company’s fondness to maintain a strong base in the U.S. market can also be stated as a reason for this. Tengzong will focus on flex fuel E85 capability, diesel and six-speed transmissions. The diesel models are targeted hugely for the markets outside the U.S. Also, Hummer will become pioneer in offering an alternative fuel powertrain in every model it sells. And this the company will attain with the addition of E85 capability to the 2010 H3 and H3T. Officially, the deal includes the sale of the HUMMER brand, trademark and tradenames and the intellectual property necessary to manufacture vehicles under license. As per the agreement, the existing dealer network will also be given to Tengzhong. With a possible one year extension through June 2012, Hummer models will be made under contract with General Motors at the Shreveport and Mishawaka plants through June 2011. But the prospects of the company after 2012, is still shrouded in mystery. Labels: General-Motors, Hummer, Saturn
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
 Though General Motors has denied the fact, we have heard that the second largest car maker of the world has a hybrid Corvette project on the drawing board. The regular 2010 Corvette comes with a 430 bhp LS3 6.2-liter V8 engine and six-speed manual transmission. The car can deliver a mileage of 6.8 km/l in the city and 10.2 km/l on the highway. Creating a plugin Corvette is possible as we have witnessed the Fisker Karma. The Fisker Karma is a plug-in hybrid luxury sports sedan that can crank out 400 bhp. We shouldn’t forget that when the Chevy Volt concept was first unveiled, sometimes it used to be referred to as an electric Camaro indicating to its very sporty design. But that sportiness was scaled back somewhat in favor of more widespread appeal when the car went into production. However, the Chevrolet Corvette remains General Motors’ iconic lynchpin sports car. It is powered by a very highly spirited line of V8 gas engines, though new CAFE rules regulating a fleet average of 15 km/l by 2016 have some pundits wondering if the sports car’s days could be numbered. The GM Vice Chairman of Product Development says that the V8 engine of the super car will stay. Down the road, he plans to keep the car alive no matter what it takes even if that means hybridization. So, what do you think? Isn’t it a hint at rolling out a Corvette hybrid in future? Labels: Chevrolet-Corvette, Chevrolet-Volt, Chevy-Camaro, Corvette, Fisker-Karma, General-Motors, GM, Hybrid-Corvette, Luxury-Sports-Sedan, Plug-in Hybrid
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
What would you think is the possible time that the world car market will take before it wakes up from its slumber? If you think the answer is one year or two years or perhaps three or four years, well you may be right as you still would be guessing as there is no specific answer for this question. But it will take a considerable amount of time before it swings back to the good old prosperous days. Though no one really knows how much time will it take, foreseeing the future, we can take a wild guess and beat around the bush saying that the golden days of the past will soon be back. The car market that we are speaking about is the American car market which is trying hard to regulate itself with the global car market. And the American car market seems to not have a glorious time. It was the most thriving market in the world but before the “Motown meltdown” last year which turned the whole car industry upside down. American car market is now in a stage of rebuilding itselves from a very steep fall. The fall of the American car market was best utilized by the Indian and the Chinese car markets. Both the markets, especially the Chinese car market, have grown really big and they even have able to mark a strong base in the American car market, which is very evident in a recent study that shows the growing demand of Indian and Chinese cars in the American market. The Chinese car market, for the first time, is expected to be emerged as the number one car market of the world. And the growing Chinese car market is the reason why the world car market did not fall into a disastrous phase, but it will not be able to stand holds the global market for a long time. The only car market that will push the global car market back to its normal self is the American car market. And this will certainly take some time. The American auto majors, Ford and General Motors, does not expose a favourable condition and this could be a reason for further trouble in the American market, but whatever may the once majestic American car market will regain its past glory and together with it the global car market too. Labels: American-Car-Market, Ford, General-Motors, Indian-car-market
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
The future seems to be very bright for General Motors in India which is loaded with one new launch after the other. But there is a cloud of uncertainty that is enveloping the car manufacturer as they cannot reach the earlier target that they had set for themselves. GM India had earlier set a goal of achieving a 10 per cent market share in the passenger car segment. But due to the uncertainty of the parent company GM which was prevailing about a couple of months back, GM India has rescheduled the target giving it another year’s time. GM India is trying to reassure itself and the customers that missing the target is not a major setback and that the company has the leisure to take its own time before it achieves the target for achieving 10 per cent market share in the passenger car segment. The once bankruptcy struck parent company of GM India, General Motors, was able to maintain a calm face among the Indian customers and had managed to run its business smoothly in India, in spite of major breakdowns globally. But it is really surprising to know that the Indian arm of the company, which was not struck by the global economic slowdown, was not able to achieve its target. But leaving this apart, the company is doing seemingly well in the market by having sold over 600 units of it’s newly launched LPG Spark. And the new launches from the company include Chevrolet Cruz, which will be launched in October this year, and Mini cars and both the new models are expected to bring in good business for the company. The company is also planning to start new dealerships within the country. It seems that GM India’s “There for you, There for India” campaign, launched to boost the business in India when its parent was struck by bankruptcy, should be used again. Labels: Chevrolet, Chevrolet-Cruze, General-Motors
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
The new leaner and meaner GM which has come out of bankruptcy is thinking of ways to secure a more stable position in the world market. The company has now laid plans for a new small car launch. General Motors acquired all the motivation for this new launch from none other than the Indian car giant that is currently a growing player in the American car market, Tata Motors. Of late, the Nano from Tata has been giving ideas to other car companies to launch cheap cars that would push more car sales. The new car from GM is expected to be priced at Rs 1.95 lakh, not as much cheaper as the Nano which is priced at Rs 1 lakh. The company is not concentrating on launching its ultra-cheap small car in the U.S. car market, but rather in the emerging markets such as India and other Asian countries. And a very good reason for this is that GM now finds countries outside America the best market for its cars, because in the first half of the year the company made most of its sale outside North America. Nothing much on the specification or other features of the car is available, but it is quite possible that GM might choose its Indian plant to produce its new small car as GM has already made a strong base in the country and that it needs to only pay eight percent of excise duty for small cars. GM India was still able to maintain a healthy position when its parent company filed bankruptcy and was in a shaky position. Once the pride of America, General Motors, had filed for bankruptcy way before the economic recession in 2008, and one among the main reasons is the very elaborate labor plans and policies of the company, which very soon became a burden for the company. But, after filing bankruptcy, GM was well planned and organized as to what are its priorities. Its decision to sell out assets and business ventures by the end of August 2009 holding back the long-term programs has proved beneficial to the company. Labels: General-Motors, Small-Car, Tata-Motors
Wednesday, 22 July 2009
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology is planning to present a hybrid car in South Korea as the domestic market there is showing its willingness to embrace green car technologies. It is revealed that the Korean car maker is carrying out experiments to build environment-friendly cars, including a hybrid model. It is said that the models of the new cars would be a joint effort between GM Daewoo and its Detroit headquarters. The development and production of hybrid models were included in a union-management agreement. It is expected that the production of the hybrid car might begin in 2011, but an exact time has not been fixed. GM Daewoo Auto & Technology is the Korean unit of the troubled General Motors in the United States. It was established on October 17, 2002. The company has five manufacturing facilities in Korea as well as an assembly facility in Vietnam. In addition, General Motors Daewoo provides market and brand-specific vehicle kits for assembly at GM facilities in China, Thailand, India, Colombia and Venezuela. In 2008, GM Daewoo sold in Korea and exported more than 1.9 million units, including Completely Knocked down (CKD) products. GM Daewoo now produces cars and kits to offer in more than 150 markets on six continents. Daewoo will be the second car manufacturer to develop hybrid models in Korea, following Hyundai-Kia Automotive. Labels: General-Motors, GM-Daewoo-Auto-and-Technology, Green-Car-Technology, Hybrid-Car
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
General Motors India has been termed as a strong performer by its beleaguered parent company General Motors of United States. The Supreme Court of U.S. has shown the green signal to General Motors for its restructuring and to form a brand new entity called General Motors Company. After restructuring, General Motors wants to regain its control over its strongest performers including its Indian subsidiary. When this happens new General Motors will be able to show a stronger balance sheet and profits which will help it reinvest in development of future technologies. It is also likely that General Motors may reward the Indian buyers for their continued support by bringing in some of their best cars. General Motors is already selling seven cars under the Chevrolet Brand. It is also likely that the new General Motors will pump in additional investments to make the Indian subsidiary more challenging. General Motors India faced a minor hurdle when its parent company filed for bankruptcy. The Indian subsidiary worked to restore faith in the company and bring back customers to their showrooms. During this critical period, General Motors launched a campaign called ‘There for you, there for India’ to assure car buyers in India that the company was not leaving the country. Since June 1, when the parent company went into bankruptcy frenzy, the Indian subsidiary has been showing a strong performance. Labels: Chevrolet-cars-India, General-Motors
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
For all those who feared that General Motors India was in trouble, just the opposite is true. The car manufacturer in India is doing business as usual. They continue to get bookings and inquiries in the same number as they did before the parent company filed for bankruptcy in the United States. Dedicated efforts from senior officials at GM India have paid off well. The senior officials at General Motors informed the Indian car dealerships in advance about how the bankruptcy filed by GM in the U.S. would not affect Indian car sales. When there was a barrage of questions from car buyers about the future of the GM India, the staff was able to explain things well and instill confidence in them. Also GM India has also worked tirelessly to convince consumers that no services will be withdrawn and warranties will continue as earlier. They also went ahead with new car launches such as the LPG variant of Spark and Chevrolet Aveo U-VA Techno variant. Two more models - Chevrolet Cruze and a new small car – are yet to be launched this year. All senior officials visited dealerships personally and conveyed directly to consumers that all was well with Chevrolet in India. They also highlighted the fact that supply of spare parts would not be affected for existing consumers thereby ensuring that older cars were well cared for. It was no easy task but the company took pains to make Indian car buyers understand that they were not quitting India at all. The new GM India campaign, which it promoted aggressively, has turned out results. Sales have been picking up since last week and GM India claims that the fall in sales was not entirely due to the bankruptcy issue and economic recession played a part too. The staff continues to wear badges that boldly highlight their theme for the campaign – “There for you, There for India”. Labels: Chevrolet, General-Motors, GM-India
Monday, 8 June 2009
General Motors has finally revealed the price to expect for its new small car to be launched by the end of this year. The new car based on GM’s concept car Beat will be priced at around Rs 4 Lakh. Not much else is known about it yet. While it’s true that General Motors has filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S., its Indian arm - GM India - is going full swing with new model launches and is poised to take competition head on in the Indian car market. The Indian subsidiary is not affected by the state of its parent company in the U.S. and is launching new cars models and variants for existing cars. Chevrolet’s success in India is seen in the recent launch of the LPG variant of Chevrolet Spark and a new variant of Aveo U-VA called ‘techno’. Also to be launched soon are the premium sedan Chevrolet Cruze in September and the new mini car by the end of this year. The Indian setup of GM has set a target of five new car launches for the year 2009 even as the parent company undergoes transformation as a government owned entity. The new car launches signify that the company is hale and hearty and looking forward to a healthy growth just like the other car manufacturers in the country. GM India is well stocked with spare parts and has a well laid out business plan to be extremely profitable this year. To convince Indian buyers that there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, GM India has launched a campaign “There for you, There for India”. It has invested billions of dollars in constructing production plants at Talegaon in Maharashtra and is still focused on its target of achieving 10 percent market share by the end of 2010. GM India is self sufficient and independent of the operation of its parent company in the U.S. It is also able to manage and raise revenues on its own strength. As GM U.S. is being restructured by the American government, GM India is going from strength to strength. It also plans to export small cars manufactured in India to GMs overseas markets. All these moves speak of a highly evolved strategy to continue its successful operations in the country. GM India is on the safe side and is here to stay for a long time. Labels: Chevrolet-Spark-LPG, General-Motors, GM-India
The much-awaited Chevrolet Aveo U-VA Techno has joined the colourful spectrum of Chevy vehicles after its launch last week. The new variant is apace with international taste with its sporty rear spoiler and new body-coloured door handles and outside mirrors. It has been designed by the Italdesign Giugiaro Studio which is a pioneer in innovative motor car design. With this new addition to the Chevrolet stable, GM India, a subsidiary of the bankrupt General Motors, wants to announce to the world, rather on a high note, that all is well in India. "Bada Dil Badi Car", as the company calls it, is one of the most spacious cars in its class and is directly pitted against the Maruti Suzuki Swift, Skoda Fabia, Ford Fusion, and Hyundai i20. The bright grey interior colour scheme makes it look even more spacious and 60:40 spilt folding rear seats offer plenty of space inside the cabin. A bold chrome-finished grille at the front, full wheel covers, and body-coloured tailgate handle provide the new member of the Chevrolet family an aesthetic appeal and premium feel. The comfort and convenience factor might have run deeper in the mind of the car’s designers as they have mounted a 4-speaker 2-DIN music system with MP3 player, antenna, and USB port. The Chevrolet U-VA Techno also comes with new features like reverse warning system, remote keyless entry, and anti-theft alarm. The new spicy variant of Aveo U-VA is priced at Rs 4.36 Lakh (Ex-Showroom Delhi). Labels: Chevrolet-Aveo-U-VA, Chevrolet-Techno, General-Motors, GM-India, New-Car-Launch
Friday, 5 June 2009
General Motors has filed for bankruptcy protection and is now undergoing a restructuring process the make it leaner and more competitive. It is shedding excess weight by selling off several of its car brands on the brink of extinction - Saab, Opel, Hummer, and Saturn. Pontiac will most probably be shut down completely. The shift of General Motors from being an epitome of capitalism to ending up as a government controlled organization is interesting. Auto analysts in United States believe a lethal combination of several factors led to the downfall of the iconic American car manufacturer. On the surface, factors like rising competition from foreign car manufacturers, skyrocketing fuel prices, freezing of credit, economic meltdown, and lack of buyers due to massive unemployment can definitely be blamed. But the problem runs deeper. The real problems started way back in GM’s history when the company was making huge profits. Worker unions held strikes and protests to the company to provide lifetime benefits to employees. With the passing of decades, the lifetime benefits fund has consumed a major portion of GM’s profits. This pushed the labour costs through the roof. When costs became unmanageable, the company had to decide between making these payments and keeping itself alive. The problem was so serious that the cost of steel for cars was less than what went into the workers fund. With this on hand, expansion, upgrade, and new investments became nearly impossible. To top it, workers’ salaries were so high that they became things of envy to those who worked the same jobs with other car manufacturers. General Motors never recovered from these liabilities and these eventually forced the company to file for bankruptcy. The collapse of the U.S. car manufacturing giant will enter management textbooks as a case study. Labels: General-Motors
Thursday, 4 June 2009
General Motors’ strategy to restructure the company by off-loading some of its struggling car brands is finally seeing the light of day. The company has managed to sell its European subsidiary Opel Motors to Magna from Canada, the military-style SUV brand Hummer has been taken over by a Chinese company and now a deal for the Saturn brand is in the making. Interestingly, GM is tapping Indian car majors like Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra to consider a deal for Saturn. The grapevine in the U.S. suggests that bankers handling GM have been pushing for a possible sale to Indian car manufacturers. The small car brand Saturn is a familiar brand in the United States just like Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki in India. General Motor. It was setup by GM in 1985 to rival cost-effective Japanese car manufacturers like Toyota and Honda. Saturn’s small cars have attracted huge sales over the past decade but GM’s multi-brand strategy had prevented it from developing new models which might have led to its current sorry state. GM’s bankers favour Tata Motors as its acquisition of Daewoo, Jaguar, and Land Rover brands has brought it worldwide recognition. Mahindra too has been actively working on building a presence in the U.S. car market with its models Scorpio, Bolero, and Xylo. However, it might not be easy for Indian car manufacturers as they will have to fight off bids from Chinese buyers as well as Magna, a Canadian firm. Labels: Car-Brands, General-Motors, Mahindra-and-Mahindra, Saturn, Tata
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Finally, the country of innumerable car brands and car models is shifting focus to economical small cars after seeing decades of sedans, SUVs, and passenger vans. The almost bankrupt General Motors has aired its willingness to build small cars for the U.S. market. GM is looking forward to introducing a new small car to join the Chevrolet Cruze and electric car Volt in the American car market. The address by the CEO marks a clear path for GM’s future which has so far prided itself for producing big vehicles. The new small car is also a step in the direction to cater to the growing small car market. It is expected to help General Motors regain its profitability within a few years. If successful it will be the most profitable venture by General Motors in the past decade after years of huge losses. It will also help General Motors regain its market share in United States that has currently fallen prey to foreign car brands. Currently, General Motors markets the Chevrolet Spark and Aveo U-VA hatchbacks in India. The company could add these same cars to the U.S. market with a few upgrades. These cars have been well received by the buyers in India. GM could also export them from India to cut costs thus making them more competitive against the Japanese brands in the U.S. market. Labels: American-Cars, Chevrolet-Cars, General-Motors, Small-Cars
Monday, 1 June 2009
General Motors will file for bankruptcy today. The U.S. federal courts had specified June 1 as the last date for filing for bankruptcy and it has been one of the closely followed corporate happenings in the world, reason being that GM has been the world’s largest car manufacturer for over seven decades in its hundred year history. It employs thousands of people in the United States alone and takes care of over 5 Lakh retirees. If the courts decide to liquidate General Motors, it will be the largest manufacturing unit bankruptcy in the world. But the U.S. government is ensuring that the company be provided with funds to help restructure in order to become more competitive. GM has been a victim of weak global economy, high oil prices, and tight credit situations that put brakes on sales of its products and left it unable to raise cash from open markets. Even though filing for bankruptcy would have helped it procure cash to pay of its debts and commitments to employee funds, it wanted to avoid it as this would give the U.S. government a chance to control 60 percent of the company. The global economic meltdown took away all hopes of reviving the automotive manufacturing giant. Auto analysts say that bankruptcy of General Motors will take longer time than Chrysler as the former’s operations are spread over different continents. The courts will have to take into account many more factors than they did for Chrysler. However, President Obama has assured help to restructure General Motors to ensure that it becomes profitable within a year. General Motors India has largely been insulated from the happenings in its parent company but the effects are likely to trickle down to India in no time. In this backdrop, General Motors has decided to make more small cars, which is a deviation from its passion for large vehicles. Labels: General-Motors
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
A lot is happening in the international car industry nowadays, the results of which could decide the fate of many brands in different countries. After General Motors and Chrysler collapsed following a downturn in the auto industry, Italian car manufacturer Fiat offered a bid to add General Motors and Chrysler to its kitty. If it succeeds, Fiat will take upon Toyota, currently the largest car manufacturer in the world. Fiat was struggling to hold to its business but after 2003 it has made profits in consecutive years. It is almost on the verge of taking over Chrysler and now the Italian company also wants the Opel brand, a European arm of General Motors. This move will help Fiat consolidate its position in the automotive world. The company is leaving no stone unturned to achieve its ambitious plans. Fiat manufactures nearly 7 million units of automobiles annually. It also owns super car brands like the Ferrari and the Maserati. Whenever Fiat succeeds it will prove a major challenge for China, India and other Asian car markets which are reporting a high growth rate. Indian players should prepare for that competition that is sure to infect the Indian car market once Fiat attains its goal. Fiat has been in India since 60 years and currently has a tie-up with Tata Motors for manufacturing, supply, and servicing facilities of its car models. Labels: Car-Manufacturer, Fiat-Cars, General-Motors
Thursday, 26 March 2009
General Motors India’s Chevrolet brand is doing good business in the Indian car market. With its models like the Optra SRV, Optra Magna, Tavera, Aveo, Aveo U-VA, Spark and the Captiva, the company is basking under the warmth of success. Among its models, the Spark from the small car segment is leading the troop. Spark has hit the chart not only in India but also in other car markets bagging three million sales globally. Seeing the growing potential of the Indian car market, General Motors has planned to increase its sales target by 10 percent. Very soon the Indian car market would get to see 3 more of Chevrolet’s new car models and also the limited edition of its existing cars. It seems the plan is already executed with the introduction of the limited music edition of the Spark. The new Spark comes with various new features like the two-DIN music player system, body coloured exterior rear mirrors, mounted turn indicators, body coloured door holds, and special edition logo. Currently, the car manufacturer proudly carries over 30 Lakh customers for its little car, the Spark. The limited edition of the Captiva is also on the cards. But how much changes the new Captiva will get is still under cover. Hope the new car models and editions add more glory to the Chevrolet brand in India. Labels: Car-Sales, Chevrolet-Spark, General-Motors
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
General Motors has come up with a cashless ownership offer to commemorate the fifth anniversary of its popular Chevrolet brand in India. This special and unique offer is solely introduced to build a strong bonding between the company and the customer and to boost buyers’ confidence on the brand. Called as Chevrolet Promise, the amazing zero ownership scheme will take care of labour cost, parts for all services, maintenance, and running repairs for a period of three years or 45,000 km, whichever occurs earlier. The offer provides customers the freedom to enjoy uninterrupted and expenses-free drive for three years. This value added scheme gives customers an opportunity to enjoy a calm and trouble-free ownership experience. Moreover, it will in turn help to improve the used cars’ value of the Chevrolet brand. Labels: Chevrolet-Cars, General-Motors, Used-Cars
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Even amidst recession the Indian car industry has witnessed a good growth. When the global car markets are experiencing slop under the clutches of financial meltdown, the Indian car market seems to be headed towards positive scale. Many new car models and variants were launched this year proving to be mascots for the car manufacturers. The Indian car market was dull for more than eight months but as every dark cloud has a silver lining, the slagging car market too bounced back with impressive sales. The February sales rose to double digits. Surprisingly, India’s leading car manufacturer Maruti Suzuki reported a jump of 20 percent in sales in February in contrast to last year. International car giants like General Motors and Ford too saw high sales figures in India while they are struggling with the Japan and the U.S. markets. Luxury car manufacturers are also happy with the Indian car market and want to expand their networks in the country despite the global downturn. For instance, Mercedes-Benz India has registered a growth of five to six per cent compared to the other countries. Seeing the market potential, Rolls Royce and Bentley are planning to foray the Indian car market with their upmarket cars. It is learnt that this was possible due to the strong government’s support that ensured excise duty cut by four per cent, lower interest rates on car loans, and easy export operations. India proved itself globally that even at the time of downturn, it is sanguine and capable to withstand the crisis. Labels: General-Motors, Indian-car-industry, Maruti-Suzuki
Friday, 6 March 2009
The venerable Chevrolet Spark is rejoicing a position that was enjoyed by the legendary Maruti 800 for decades. With over three million models sold globally, the car has tasted great success and acclamation. Spark is a burning torch for General Motor that is gradually spreading its light across the length and breadth of the Indian car market. Even on foreign soils the car is equally gaining momentum. The winning attributes of the Spark that make it popular worldwide are its timeless beauty, brute power, outstanding performance, spacious interior, impressive mileage, and flamboyance character. It is also a great city commuter that can easily navigate through congested city roads. To celebrate the high sales of the car, General Motors has offered car discounts on its range of car models in India. The company offers an attractive discount of Rs 55,000 on the winning Chevrolet Spark, Rs 28,000 on the Tavera, Rs 50,000 on the Aveo, Rs 30,000 on the Aveo U-VA, and Rs 70,000 on the Optra Magnum. The success of Spark in the global car market is a sure sign of its credibility and with this the manufacturer is sure to register higher sales volume in the approaching months. Labels: Cars-Sales, General-Motors, Indian-car-market, Spark
Wednesday, 4 March 2009
Buick Y-Job is a striking and inspirational car designed by a world renowned designer Harley Earl in 1938. This is not only one of the most significant American car designs but is also known to be a signpost for concept cars. The Buick Y-Job is excitingly the world’s first concept car that was created with a desire to test buyers’ reaction to a specific design and style. The car was designed by Earl who was the chief designer of General Motors. Unlike the concept car designed in the modern era, the world’s first concept car was fully functional as it was used by Earl for his personal transportation for several years. The elegant design of the car was complemented by power-operated hidden headlamps, wraparound bumpers, flush door handles, and elegant styling cues. Earl with his Y-Job introduced new trends in design and engineering. And amazingly when the car was first displayed in the 1938 Chicago Auto Show, it attracted mass lovers. Even then the car never went into production but today it is considered to be a historical treasure. This inspirational Buick Y-Job became the vision of concept cars that has actually reshaped the car industry. General Motors used the car as a sales weapon to attract car buyers and the same is now followed by many car manufacturers around the globe. Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Concept-Cars, General-Motors
Thursday, 12 February 2009
Though General Motors is badly hit by the recession in its native, it is optimistic for the Indian market. The company foresee a great potential for its product in the Indian market especially for its small cars. The reason that makes the company feels this is none other than its small car sales volume in the country when its car sales dropped drastically in its home ground. It slipped from the position of top car manufacturer now taken by Toyota Motors which also depicts its worsen condition in U.S. GM’s Chevrolet brand has experienced a good success in the Indian market which includes a portfolio of cars like the Aveo, Aveo U-VA, Captiva, Optra Magna, Optra SRV, Spark, and the Tavera. Just like Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motors Chevrolet is also gradually taking its safe position in the Indian market. Its flagship models the Spark and the Aveo U-VA recently bagged top position in ‘Quality Car’ list ranked by J.D. Power Asia in their respective segments. Seeing the brand’s awe-inspiring success, General Motors forecast India to become one of the top five Chevrolet markets globally in next five years. Labels: Chevrolet-Cars, General-Motors, Small-Cars
Wednesday, 11 February 2009
Get ready to indulge yourself into the rhythm of the new Spark Muzic. It’s the new special edition of the Chevrolet Spark that was launched today. This musical edition is introduced with a desire to live up to the expectations of Indian car buyers. The new Spark comes with some snazzy and groovy features to add extra zing to every drive. What makes the Muzic edition a real head turner is the innovatively designed body side graphics highlighted by brightly coloured song notes. Those who love music can feel the notes dancing across the sides of the car. An exciting new 2 DIN audio system adds enthralling rhythm to the journey and the interior radiates freshness and warmth with sporty new upholstery. The exterior is elegantly accentuated with stylish turn indicators on outer mirrors, body coloured door handles, and a unique music edition badge to the rear displays the exclusivity of the Spark Muzic. A remote keyless entry system has been added for extra safety and convenience. There is no change in the engine or any of the other features of the Spark. The same 1.0-litre S-Tec drives the Spark Muzic. So, if you are a music lover and a car enthusiast, then the new Spark Muzic is a wonderful car without an extra burden on your pocket. Chevy is making only 25,000 of these cars which are priced at around Rs 3.5 Lakh (Ex-showroom price Delhi). Labels: Chevrolet-Cars, Chevrolet-Spark, General-Motors, New-Car-Launch, New-Spark-Muzic
Friday, 6 February 2009
 Competition among car manufacturers is aggressively growing with the expanding car industry. Every car manufacturer is planning something innovative and unique to seize the top position in the car industry.
The iron is getting hotter between Toyota and General Motors. This year Toyota surpasses General Motors in sales and victoriously snatched the title of World’s top car manufacturer from the company. Now, when General Motors announced to bring the luxury car brand Cadillac to India, Toyota is silently planning to introduce Land Cruiser diesel model in the country. This SUV is one of the most popular cars from Toyota will be cruised to India as completely built unit and is likely to carry a heavy price tag of around Rs 40 Lakh. With the diesel version, Land Cruiser is presently undergoing the new import rules and regulations. Toyota’s Fortuner is also on cards for Indian market that will be locally built. So, car buyers can expect an affordable price tag that is speculated to fall within the range of Rs 18- 20 Lakh. It seems that both the top car manufacturers are implementing all possible strategies to grab a pie of the luring Indian car market. Let’s watch and see who wins the race! Labels: General-Motors, Luxury-Car, Toyota
Monday, 2 February 2009
India is becoming a hot spot for many car companies as well as component manufacturers. Many car manufacturers are gradually establishing their production facilities in the country with a vision to produce the best at minimal cost. That's what India is known for! India has a large pool of talents, input resources, and easily available low-cost labour that can be intelligently utilized to produce world-class cars at a comparatively less cost. Many car manufacturers like the Maruti Suzuki, General Motors, and the Fiat have already made India their hub for car production and others like Toyota are following their footsteps. Toyota’s plans to manufacturer Camry in India would not only reduce the cost of production but would also help the company escape the huge import duty. At present the car is being imported from Japan and sells at a price starting from Rs 21 Lakh. If the company starts its production in India, the price tag of the car is likely to be reduced by about 20-25%. But the price would be reduced only if Toyota decides to pass the entire benefit to its valued customers. Once the local production of the Camry starts and it gets available at competitive price, the car would face rivalry from leading executive sedans in the country like the Honda Accord, Honda City, and the Skoda Laura. Labels: General-Motors, Sedans, Toyota-Cars
Many car manufacturers are focussing on rural areas with a thought that small towns will bring better sales. In the time when liquidity crunch has crippled the urban centres, small towns seems to be more promising due all-cash economy and low penetration levels. Shockingly, leading Indian car manufacturer like Maruti Suzuki and General Motors have experienced a jump in sales figure in the rural markets compared to urban market. Job layoffs and unpredictable corporate scenario have shattered the buying sentiments of consumers. Car buyers being insecure about their jobs are deferring their buying plans. And this situation is worst in the major metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, and Hyderabad which is under the cyclone of recession. Even the various government initiatives to infuse liquidity into the financial system did not relieve the pain of car manufactures. They feel that the voluminous market in metros is now saturating and it’s time to attack the small towns. All car companies struggling in metros have the same story to share thus they are gradually moving towards markets outside big metros to revive their businesses. Labels: Car-manufacturers-in-India, Car-Sales, General-Motors
Friday, 16 January 2009
The popular 'winking' car Chevrolet Spark from the house of General Motors will get its facelifted version soon. The modified cute little car recently showcased at North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) will be launched in the international market in March 2009, whereas it will see the Indian day light by 2011. However, the existing Spark will not be replaced and will continue to bewitch masses with its magic of style and performance. Currently under development in a GM plant in Europe, the car will be manufactured in Korea. Chevrolet has driven a successful ride with its Spark in the Indian car market. The car has won buyers hearts with its smart design, luxurious features, and flawless performance which is revealed by its top rank in the list of J.D. Power Asia rating for 'Quality Cars'. The new Spark is expected to carry a new name and will fall under the class of premium hatchback. When released, the car will spark a nightmare for hatchbacks like the Hyundai i20, Tata Indica Vista, Maruti Swift, and Skoda Fabia. Besides fresh exterior and interior design, the car will also come with improved fuel efficiency. With the launch of this car, the company will fulfil its commitment of providing fuel efficient cars to consumers while confirming its leadership in the segment. Labels: Chevrolet-Spark, General-Motors, New-Car-Launch
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
As speculated in 2008, the car manufactures are now increasing the car prices to combat the rising input costs. Hyundai Motors has already revealed its plan to increase the car prices by 2% which will put extra an expense of Rs 1,000 – Rs 18,000 on the purchase of Hyundai cars. Honda is also set to hike the prices of all its car models. The rising input costs and currency fluctuations have compelled many car manufacture to increase their car prices. Earlier, in order to boost car sales, car manufacturers have announced various discount and schemes with their car models. These offers were also declared to pass the benefit of the lowered excise duty to the car buyers. Following the suit, General Motors has unveiled the price hike by around Rs 10,000 across all models from January 10. So now the cute little Spark will be available with an extra addition of Rs 3000 to its price tag, whereas the Optra from the sedan class will cost of Rs 10,000 more. The SUV Captiva will also witness a price hike in the same range. Labels: Car-Price, General-Motors, Hyundai-cars
Thursday, 18 December 2008
We all know that the wind of recession had severely hit the global car market. Big U.S car manufacturers like the General Motors, Ford, and the Chrysler were on the verge of bankruptcy and had asked for financial help. It was a big amount that these three major players in the industry required. They applied for a 14 billion dollar bailout package. But unfortunately, after weeks of long debate and discussions, the Senate refused to provide the said amount to the struggling U.S. auto manufacturers. The General Motors and Chrysler required billion of dollars to forestall a collapse in their business while Ford desired a hefty line of credit. Shockingly, the proposed bailout is rejected. And this has further raised the fear of a deeper economic downturn along with heavy financial crisis. In U.S one out of ten jobs is linked to the auto sector. And any kind of hurdle on the automotive sector would have a direct impact on the job market, which would further jeopardize the persistent efforts to ease the economic recession. With the loss experienced by the Ford, GM, and Chrysler, over ten thousands of jobs are at risk. Adding to that, further financial shocks and disruption in the global auto industry are the most aspirated challenges to overcome. Even the dollar, Asian stocks, and commodity prices have started tumbling in response to the immediate effect of the rejected bailout. General Motors, Ford or Chrysler failure would also aggravate the market situation in India. The Indian auto industry is gradually making efforts to revive its future. But, a bankruptcy in U.S would definitely endanger the Indian car industry. This is because these car companies have a good market share in India with General Motors and Ford accelerating at a faster pace. Even the auto component industry in the country would get affected by forced production shut down of the U.S. “Big Three”. Now, it’s time to analyze and study how the collapse of proposed bailout would influence the Indian car market and to plan strategies to overthrow the challenges in the recent times. Labels: Car-Industry, Ford, General-Motors
After experiencing bankruptcy in U.S due to economic recession, General Motors now plans to enter the used car business.The company feels that this is the time to make a new start with a fresh approach and innovative strategy. With the current market slump, many car manufacturers are hunting for new avenues to boost car sales. For General Motors, used car business seems to be the best avenue with the current market situation. The company plans to start its new firm with the brand name, 'Chevrolet OK', from January 15, 2009. General Motors may see a new dawn of a brighter future ahead as most of the car manufacturers including leading market players like the Maruti and Honda have rejoiced success with their used car wings. And further to that the used car market in India is growing at an accelerated pace. Under the brand name 'Chevrolet OK', the company will only sell General Motors cars as a part of its project. It is also said that General Motors would introduce this used car biz as a pilot project and would also work on its expansion plans, if the company receives a good response in a couple of months. Labels: Car-Manufacturers, General-Motors, Used-Cars
Thursday, 4 December 2008
Whenever you plan to buy your spanking new set of wheels, the quality qualms amongst Indian cars is confusing. This makes it difficult for you to choose the best masterpiece. But now, the worries and fears have come to an end as J. D. Power Asia has discovered some of the best Indian cars in every car segment. J. D. Power ranked 45 different cars from 12 different car manufacturers based on the data gathered from about 6,000 new car owners across 20 Indian cities. Excitingly, the result reveals that Honda and General Motors have maintained a rigorous control over quality issues and delivered the best quality cars to their customers. Honda with three of its cars, Honda City, Honda Civic, and the Honda CR-V scored high points in their respective segments. These cars fulfill the company’s commitment of delivering reliable and dependable cars to its valued customers. General Motors has also managed to dominate two car segments with its Chevy Spark and the Aveo U-VA, beating other established players in the industry. Chevrolet Spark tops the compact car segment and the Chevrolet Aveo U-VA ranks first in the premium compact car segment. Maruti Suzuki and Toyota has also managed to dominate the entry midsize segment and MUV segment, respectively. Maruti with its Swift Dzire and Toyota with its Innova has swayed away other cars in their relevant segments. With this, the truth behind the quality qualms amongst Indian cars is uncovered. Labels: General-Motors, Honda-City, Maruti-Suzuki
Wednesday, 3 December 2008
Chevrolet ushers the New Year with amazing savings! As the New Year is approaching, General Motors offer amazing savings on its range of cars in India. The company brings out the best of its car models with unbelievable discounts and schemes. If you are planning to buy Chevrolet cars, then this is the right time for you to drive away your favourite car. The company is not only offering a discount in price tag but also providing a pack of schemes. On the purchase of Chevrolet Aveo – U-VA, you can enjoy a saving of Rs 27,000 along with free maintenance package of 3 years/45,000 kms, free insurance for 1 year, and a warranty period of 3 years/100,000 km. If you are interested in buying a premium mid-sized car, then Chevrolet Optra Magnum is a good option with a saving of up to Rs 50,000. With the discounted price starting from Rs 8.01 Lakh, you’ll also get free maintenance package of 3 years/45,000 km and a warranty period of 3 years/100,000 km. Starting from a discounted price of Rs 6.02 Lakh, you can save up to Rs 53,000 on the purchase of Chevrolet Aveo. And if you desire to buy a small car, then Chevrolet Spark is the best option with a starting price of Rs 2.66 Lakh and saving of about Rs 58,000 along with warranty period of 3 years/100,000 km. Also, the midsize car Aveo, is available with a free maintenance package of 3 years/45,000 km and a warranty of 3 years/100,000 km. What are you thinking now? Grab the offer and drive away the best of Chevrolet cars before the offer closes on 25th December 2008. Labels: Chevrolet-Cars, General-Motors, Small-Car
Monday, 24 November 2008
The global recession that has struck our world is now peaking. The tide of financial downfall in the U.S. has left no company untouched. Major U.S auto manufacturers that have faced severe financial difficulties include decade old names such as General Motors and Ford. GM and Ford are at the verge of bankruptcy. Struggling to stay alive, these manufacturers have finally asked for help from their government. How does this affect the Indian auto market? The heavy loss along with a severe liquidity crunch in the U.S has compelled people to cut upgrades to bigger and better cars. Due to a lack of finance in the market, the number of people buying new cars has almost come to a standstill. With deteriorating car sales, car production has also seen a massive slow down, which means that the demand for auto components is fast dwindling. Auto players, who use to import car components from the fast growing and cheaper Indian market, have cut down their auto component orders due to the hard hit of recession. Even players like Bajaj Auto, Hyundai Motors, and Tata Motors from India have cut down their component orders. After a slowdown in August 2008, September proved to be a promising month for the auto industry. Production growth in September 2008 was recorded to be 12.70% with a domestic sales growth of 5.39%. This growth was further swayed away by the strong wind of recession in the month of October. In October, car sales fell down to about 9.05% over October 2007 along with a slowdown in car production that dropped to about 12.32%. Export sales also dipped from various markets, which have taken a stiff beating on the component manufacturers. Fortunately, the strong and growing Indian economy with its vast working population may have a cushioning effect on the car manufacturers and dealers. However, the auto component manufacturers will hit the hardest during this slow down and the declining sales are likely to continue at least until March 2009. Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Ford-Cars, General-Motors
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Driven by the success of alternate fuels like CNG and LPG, General Motors also eyes on this new engine technology. Many car manufacturers today are developing CNG and LPG counterparts of their successful car models and so is General Motors. Some are even introducing the Duo versions of their cars like the Maruti Suzuki WagonR Duo, a car that can run efficiently on both petrol and LPG. Car driver can easily switch over the engine from petrol to LPG as per his requirement. It’s good to know that the company is continuously doing research and surveys to develop the alternative fuel technology. It also plans to introduce bio-diesel technology for which it has acquired a huge land to cultivate Jatropha, a plant that contains enormous amount of oil. As the company is becoming aggressive for its future plans in India, it is definite that India will soon see a bunch of new green roll outs. Labels: Alternative-Fuel-Technology, General-Motors, Maruti-Suzuki
Friday, 24 October 2008
You all would be amazed to know that General Motors has introduced a new version of its most successful car model, the Chevrolet Tavera, christened as Chevrolet Tavera Neo 2. The new car is designed and manufactured in response to the customer’s feedback and aspirations. Excitingly, it is adorned with variety of personal amenities and appealing features. The is most interesting part of the new Tavera is the additional three-spoke steering wheel that adds to the worth and demand of this car. Low maintenance cost, good mileage, and enhanced engine performance is an even more attractive offer. The General Motors claims to sell a huge number of Tavera Neo 2 every month but what about you? Do you all wish to buy this exciting and appealing car loaded with special features? Labels: General-Motors, New-Car
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Spark is one of the fastest running compact cars on Indian roads. With such high success of the Spark, the General Motors plans to introduce a new version of its small car.  It’s good to know that the company is planning to introduce the 800cc version of the Spark which is at present plying on Indian roads with the 995cc motor. You would be even more surprised to know that the revamped car will cost less than the current price tag, nearly about Rs 20,000 less.
Though the car will have no frills and modifications in the car interiors but will definitely deliver better performance and fuel-efficiency. Even the quality of plastic used to build the body structure will be improved. The heavy discount in the price tag of Spark has pushed the car sales and the new engine Spark is further expected to increase the sales at a higher pace. Labels: Fuel-efficiency, General-Motors, Small-Car
Saturday, 18 October 2008
Compared to last year, this September saw more car sales despite of a drastic slump over the past two months due to inflation and increased fuel prices. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has measured that passenger car sales in September rose by 3000 units compared to the same month last year. The picture was looking grim due to decreased sales and it is obvious that the current numbers are much better than what was expected. Maruti Suzuki saw a marginal increase in sales by about 180 units compared to September 2007. Hyundai has done much better with nearly a 24% increase. Not all car manufacturers though have registered improved sales. General Motors sold roughly 5% less than last September. The September sales scenario is pretty much is variable for each car manufacturer. Some have lost and some have gained. But the overall sales of cars this September is marginally higher to the sales last September. This is a very positive picture for the Indian car industry. Labels: Car-Sales-India, General-Motors, Hyundai, Maruti-Suzuki
Friday, 17 October 2008
In line with Maruti Suzuki and General Motors, Hyundai also hits the govt. sector to boost car sales during the festive season. Hyundai Motors announces a special discount upto Rs 31,000 on various car models exclusively for government employees. These discounts are directly aimed at cashing on higher salaries and arrears. Smartly, the company has targeted the employees who are due to receive the debts after revision in the Sixth Pay Commission. Amazingly, these offers will go on till November 2008 for scheme, for both state and central government employees. In view of the fact that government employees are due to receive the arrears after revision in the Sixth Pay Commission, the arrears can be utilized as down payment for purchase and the revised salary increment would help them to accommodate their monthly installments, the company said.  The company said it has tied up with State Bank of India, Axis Bank and HDFC Bank to offer finance schemes to the government employees for car purchase. Hyundai would offer discount for Santro, i10, Getz, Accent, Verna. Labels: Car-Discounts, General-Motors, Government, Hyundai, Maruti-Suzuki
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
Gone are the days of old car engines that were filled with clean petrol fuel. Here comes the era of biofuel with the new biofuel policy announced in the country. Some of you must be aware that since a long time the Indian Government is planning to make the entire range of Indian cars compliant to strict emissions norms. The time has finally come when the new policy has compelled car manufacturers to shift gears to comply with the new policy that states compulsory blending of 10% biofuels with petrol by the end of 2012. With such a standard, it would really be difficult to have all the present generation cars on roads after 2012. Cars that are E10 and E20 compatible have the power and strength to run on such fuel but what about the remaining Indian cars? You would be even more surprised to know that even Maruti Suzuki doesn’t have any such cars that can follow the guidelines of the new policy. Though the company is making efforts to roll out a car that can run on blended fuel but nothing is yet confirmed. For General Motors, there is nothing to worry. Infact, why should they worry if they have E10 compatible cars in India? They are now trying to bring their E 20 engine technology to India. Other car manufacturers are silently responding to the wait and watch policy…waiting for the final nod to watch the alterations in the engines of their respective car models. Don’t you think that this year is really tough for the Indian car market? Labels: Bio-Fuel, General-Motors, Indian-cars, Maruti-Suzuki, old-cars
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
General Motors, a leading car manufacturer, made its venture into India with its successful Chevrolet Tavera in 2003. Since the time of its first launch, the company has created many milestones in the country and is having an optimistic and exciting vision ahead. The Tavera MUV has been a great success in the Indian cab market. After that the launch of Aveo has also been on a steady growth scale. The next launch of Chevrolet Spark is rolling swirling around people’s mind and heart and has attracted a large volume of car buyers. GM with its bright past rolls ahead with expansion plans by increasing the number of car launches, number of service stations and number of showrooms in the country. The company has listed many promises under “Chevrolet Promises”. GM’s vision is to have an Innova like MUV, LPG versions of Aveo and Spark, and a small cheap car for the Indian car market. The company is also working on engines displacing so that it can load better and improved engines in its future car models. GM has a bright vision just similar to its fruitful and shining past! Labels: Chevrolet-Spark, Chevrolet-Tavera, General-Motors, Indian-Car
Monday, 22 September 2008
 General Motors, a leading car manufacturer, will soon start with a facebook community. The attempt is made with respect to a new marketing strategy. The decision was driven by the increasing use of online media and social communities where a huge mass of people discuss and exchange their personal views. Now, the company will start its own community aimed at online marketing and promotional activities. This plan will be ruled by a dedicated team of expertise with good technical as well as internet knowledge. It is believed that the digital medium has the best ROI (Return on Investment) for car manufacturers and GM wants to share a huge piece of the successful online channels. ROI marketing is the best way to understand how to spend wisely on marketing and get highest return on the marketing investment. The company has already tried this kind of marketing for its Chevrolet Captiva which eventually gave a good number of sales. Labels: Car-Manufacturers, Chevrolet-Captiva, General-Motors, GM-Facebook
Friday, 19 September 2008
 After a long time of thrashing income in the Indian automotive market, Festive season restores the market to create a rainbow in the market universe. At one end of the spectrum, Indian car manufacturers are offering discounts and gifts and at the other end, banks and car financers are reducing the interest rates. This means that during this festive season, car buyers have the opportunity to relish tasty fruits with both hands. Car manufacturers, banks, and finance institutions are all working hard to search out the best possible way to reduce interest rates on car finance. Maruti Suzuki India, leader in passenger car market, has reduced the interest rate from a slab of 15-17% to 12.53-13.3%. General Motors is offering its Optra Magnum at a discounted interest rate of 8.55% and Toyota selling its Toyota Innova at an interest rate of 7.9%. With these car manufacturers, auto financers and various banks like ICICI, HDFC, and Kotak Mahindra have also reduced their interest rates to bring some cheers to the lackluster Indian car market. So, if anyone of you is planning to buy a car, then rush. This is the perfect time to buy your dream car. Labels: Car-Discounts, General-Motors, Indian-Car-Manufacturers, Maruti-Suzuki, Toyota-Innova
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
 Though Chevy Spark is a good small car for the Indian market, it is unable to compete with other successful cars like Hyundai i10. Driven by the aftermaths of the ageing Spark, General Motors, is working hard to roll out its small car which is based on a concept model called Beat. This new car is expected to be above the Spark and go in line with Hyundai i10 The new mini car sports elegant and aggressive design with high bonnet lines, huge headlamps, flared wheel arches, and a chunky side profile. Even the interiors are beautifully adorned with exciting techno features. The small car is due to enter production in the next year. In India, the car is expected to roll out from General Motor’s new plant at Talegaon, Pune. The car will come with a powerful S Tech 1.2L engine that features a 16 valve DOHC valvetrain. Representing a hard beat for Hyundai i10, even the price slot will be competitive falling between the price range of Rs 4 lakh and Rs 5 Lakh. Will this be GM’s lucky car? Labels: Chevy-Spark, General-Motors, Hyundai-i10, Small-Car
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
Every car maker is in the festive mood and is celebrating by rolling out new models. Even General Motors is planning to introduce Chevrolet Tavera Neo-2 with the price tag of 9.54 lakh. The new Tavera Neo-2 would be enhanced with bonus features like a aggressive chrome-plated grille inset with a refreshed Chevrolet logo, sleek and sporty designs, all new and attractive dual-tone beige instrument panel with a touch premium wood-finish centre console, a modern and stylish three-spoke steering wheel with improved steering control. The brand is also working mini compact global car and is expected to be out by 2010 which will harmonize with Spark and the U-VA from the Chevrolet stable. Labels: Chevrolet-Tavera, Chevrolet-Tavera-Neo-2, General-Motors, MUV, Spark, U-VA
|
|
Basking in its recently acquired glory of high February sales, American car manufacturing giant GM revealed an interest to introduce its most popular international models, Camaro and Corvette, in India.
