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Wednesday, 7 April 2010
 Well, it is the award season. And we are not talking about one of those mediocre movie awards. We are talking about the top awards in the automotive industry. Yes, the day belonged to General Motors in the design category. Chevrolet Camaro won the 2010 World Car Design of the Year award. In doing so, the Chevrolet Camaro showed the other finalist, Citroen C3 Picasso and the quirky Kia Soul, the exit door. “In recreating this modern sports car, we have proven that people are just as passionate about Chevy as ever,” said Tom Peters, Chevrolet Design Director, Global RWD, Performance Cars and Full-size Trucks. “We have been delighted about the strong reaction to the Camaro. Even in markets that are new to Chevy, it has been creating an emotional appeal for the brand.” A design panel, which consisted of five highly respected design experts, was asked to first review the entrees from each candidate and then make a short-list of recommendations for the final jurors. The award was presented to Camaro at the New York International Auto Show, 2010. The award is sponsored by BASF and focuses on new vehicles that are considered to be high on eye-friendliness and cutting edge technology. Other awards at the prestigious show included the Volkswagen Polo for World Car of the Year, snagging it from the very prissy Toyota Prius and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The Audi R8 won the World Performance Car of the Year and Volkswagen's Bluemotion trio, the Rabbit, Golf and Passat, for World Green Car of the Year. Chevrolet Camaro is an internationally popular model and if you are looking at purchasing one for yourself, you can keep your hopes alive. For General Motors is planning to launch the Camaro and Corvette in Indian markets soon. These cars will be sold in small numbers, through unique boutiques. Labels: Chevrolet-Camaro, Chevrolet-Corvette, General-Motors, Mercedes-Benz-E-Class, Toyota-Prius, Volkswagen's-Bluemotion, VW-Passat, World-Car-Design-of-the-Year-Award, World-Green-Car-of-the-Year
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
If February held its head high because of the record sales figures it brought for the car manufacturers, March is not sulking either. Union Budget 2010 brought the partial rollback in excise duty reduction on cars, and then there was the price hike from few of the car manufacturers, but March kept its dignity and showed good sales numbers. Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors, Honda Siel, General Motors and Ford Motors represent more than 90 per cent of all vehicle sales in India, and if we take their combined domestic passenger vehicle sales into consideration, the numbers have gone up by 19.3 per cent in March, to 1,95,805 units, compared to 1,64,104 units during the same month last year. February got lucky because consumers were expecting a partial roll back in the budget and pre-poned their decisions of purchasing a car. As a result, the February sales catapulted by 34 per cent, hitting 1,94,548 units as compared to 1,45,166 units in February 2009. The last financial year started on a rather sluggish note but showed signs of recovery once the economic pace quickened. Consequently, passenger vehicle sales of these carmakers in 2009-10 shot up by 26.7 per cent, to 2,429,419 units, against 1,918,146 units in 2008-09. Sandeep Singh, deputy managing director (sales), Toyota Kirloskar Motors, said: “The increase in sales for March can be attributed to the rise in prices that would come into effect from April 1 because of increase in input costs, the implementation of Euro-IV (emission norms) and the increase in local road tax and local sales tax.” While most of the companies are still deciding on the increase in the car prices, Toyota and Maruti have already announced the precise amount. Toyota has increased the prices of Corolla, Innova and Fortuner models by Rs 5,000 to Rs 14,000 and Maruti Suzuki has increased the prices, ranging from Rs 1000 to Rs 7000, on A-star, Ritz, Estilo, Omni, Swift, DZire and SX4 models. Additionally, the price of Maruti Eeco has shot up by Rs 10,000 because the introductory price has been withdrawn. Despite all these, industry experts believe that the overall growth would continue in 2010-11, but at a relatively lower rate. “The buoyancy in Tier-II and -III towns would help the industry to grow by 15 per cent in 2010-11, despite fears of increase in interest rates and high inflation,” Ankush Arora, vice president (sales and marketing), GM India, said. GM alone would register growth of 50 per cent over 2009-10, he said. Riding on the successful launch of Eeco, the Ritz, the new Grand Vitara, Estilo and SX4, domestic sales for Maruti went up 7.7 per cent in March, at 79,530 units as compared to 73,855 units in March last year. Not only that, Maruti Suzuki became the only Indian carmaker to achieve a milestone of a million units being sold in a year. Export figures also improved for Maruti. Against 70,023 units in 2008-09, Maruti sold 147,575 units during 2009-10. Hyundai’s sales jumped by 27.3 per cent last month, to 31,501 units when compared to the 24,754 units sold in March 2009. This has been the highest domestic sales for Hyundai. Thanks to Indigo Manza and Sumo Grande MKII, Tata Motors registered an increase of 17.4 per cent, at 27,761 units compared to the 23,649 units sold in March 2009. Labels: Euro-IV, February-2010-Car-Sales, Ford-Motors, General-Motors, Honda-Siel, Hyundai, Indigo-Manza, March-2010-Car-Sales, Maruti-Suzuki, Sumo-Grande-MKII, Tata-Motors
Thursday, 1 April 2010
 Even with carmakers increasing car prices and the new emission norms kicking in, it is surprising that demands for car are shooting up. Yes, believe it or not, but it is the truth. Demands for cars is far outstretching the production capacity and some popular car models, including Maruti Suzuki's Swift and Swift Dzire, Indigo Manza, Chevrolet Beat and Cruze, Volkswagen Polo and the diesel variants of Hyundai i20 and Verna, now have waiting periods that range anywhere from a fortnight to nearly four months. Also, these are the models which are not running any discounts. While the petrol variant Swift has a waiting period of one month, the diesel variant of the same would make you wait for almost two-and-a-half months or more. Swift Dzire (both models) tops them both with a waiting period that stretches up to four months! Apparently, this is happening because Maruti, in order to cater to the export needs, had to accommodate the A-Star production at its Manesar plant. “We are bottlenecking capacity by realigning product mix at both the plants,” Mayank Pareek, executive officer (sales and marketing) had earlier said. The company has shifted the production of its Swift petrol model to Gurgaon and has produced about 40,000 units per year at Manesar plant. Export activities of Maruti grew by 126.7 per cent between April 2009 and this February, at 131,982 units, with A-Star contributing for most of it. Earlier Maruti Suzuki had said that Manesar production capacity would be enhanced by up to 250,000 units by 2012, at an investment of Rs 1,700 crore. The situation is pretty much same with Volkswagen Polo too. Neeraj Garg, member of the board and director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India, said: “Polo is having a waiting period of about three-four months currently. We are ramping up the production of it at Chakan (near Pune) and will try to bring down the waiting period. We have confirmed bookings of 5,000 units of the Polo, with 500 units already delivered.” Polo was launched in the second week of March and is currently distributed through a network of 43 dealers across India. But there is just no escaping the waiting period, even if you decide to run to Hyundai. Hyundai Verna has a waiting period of three to four weeks and the latest hit from Hyundai, the i20, will make you wait for about three to four months. “Demand for the i20 is three to four times higher than what we anticipated. As a result, the company had ramped up production and is now working in three shifts across its two plants to roll out 4,500 units of i20 a month,” said Arvind Saxena, senior vice president, Hyundai Motor India. Chevrolet has been experiencing a lot of success with its Beat, Cruze and Spark Now, Beat and Cruze have a waiting period of two-month and one-month respectively. “ Beat has been in great demand and we are operating in two shifts to roll out 4,000 to 4,500 units a month. This, along with Spark and other models, will help the company to grow in excess of 100 per cent in March, vis-à-vis 5,001 units sold in 2009,” said Ankush Arora, vice president (sales and marketing), General Motors India. So, if you decide to buy one of these models, your waiting skills might just come handy. Labels: Beat, Chevrolet, Cruze, General-Motors, Hyundai-i20, Hyundai-Verna, Indigo-Manza, Maruti-Swift, Spark, Swift-Dzire, Volkswagen-Polo
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
 Recently, we heard about the Carpuccino, where coffee beans were used as an alternative fuel to power the car. Now, GM will be partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to develop biofuel using the jatropha plant. The five-year partnership will hopefully convert the weed into a continual biofuel energy crop. This weed produces oil which can be refined into biodiesel. Isn’t that something nice? What does the project target? Well, the jatropha plant will completely be explored. General Motors and the DOE want to prove that remarkable quantities of the oil can be produced for conversion to biodiesel. Also, new varieties of the plant that can give better yield, withstand frost and can grow in temperate climates like the U.S. will be developed. The plant can be grown commercially with minimal care on marginal land. Two jatropha farms in Bhavngar and Kalol near GM's car manufacturing plant will be set up in India. The existing 74.1-acre jatropha farm in Bhavnagar will also be managed. Lab-optimized strains of jatropha, produced through selective and marker-assisted breeding, will be cultivated. The joint DOE-GM funding will enable the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute in India to manage the cultivation. The environmental impacts, starting with fertilizer production from raw materials and ending with the harvesting of jatropha fruits will be analyzed. How is everyone going to benefit from the project? If jatropha becomes commercially feasible, we will no longer have to be completely dependent on petroleum. It will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. GM India sales, with biodiesel-capable products, will automatically grow and re-state GM India's commitment to green technology. India and Europe mainly rely on diesel as fuel. The jatropha-based biodiesel has great potential as an alternative fuel. It would serve great in regions where national security concerns are sensitive by dependence on imported oil. India, China, the Philippines, several African countries, and the U.S. are conducting research programs in jatropha cultivation and oil extraction on insignificant and weather-beaten land. Jatropha is a tough plant, resistant to drought and pests, and produces seeds containing 27-40% oil. The jatropha seeds, after oil extraction, could also be considered for producing energy. As per Goldman Sachs, Jatropha curcas can be one of the best sources of future biodiesel production. Till date, none of the Jatropha species have been domesticated. Therefore, its productivity may vary and the long-term impact of its large-scale use on soil quality and the environment is indefinite. In Brazil, the Philippines and few other surrounding nations, the oil from Jatropha curcas seeds is already used for biodiesel fuel production. The plant grows naturally in these regions. Several projects in India and other developing countries are also working hard on the jatropha oil for biofuel. The railway line between Mumbai and Delhi is planted with Jatropha and the train itself runs on 15-20% biodiesel. Cultivation is easy. Jatropha curcas grows in tropical and subtropical regions. The plant can grow on almost any territory, even on gravelly, sandy and saline soils. Poor and stony soils do not affect its growth. However, new research suggests that the plant's ability to adapt to these poor soils is not as extensive as before. Complete germination is completed in 9 days. It can also be grown with other crops like coffee, sugar, fruits and vegetables. In Dec 2008, Air New Zealand successfully completed a test flight using a 50/50 mixture of jatropha oil -derived biofuel and Jet A1 in one of the four Rolls-Royce RB211 engines of a 747 jumbo jet. Jatropha oil is much cheaper than crude oil. In Jan last year, Continental Airlines successfully completed a test flight from Houston, Texas using a 50/50 mixture of algae/jatropha oil-derived biofuel and Jet A in one of the two CFM56 engines of a Boeing 737-800 New Generation jet. The test flight marks another hopeful step for the airline industry to discover cheaper and eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuel. Labels: Alternative-Fuel, Bio-Diesel, Biodiesel, Cheap-Fuel, DOE, General-Motors, GM, India-Fuel, Jatropha, Jatropha-Biodiesel, Jatropha-Oil
Friday, 26 March 2010
 GM has come up with a new Electric Networked-Vehicle (ENV) to fight the growing pressure on public infrastructure. GM unveiled the two-seater urban transport concept vehicle, which it has been developing in conjunction with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC), in China. This concept car from GM is intended as a personal mobility vehicle and the most amazing thing about this vehicle is that it can communicate with other vehicles on the road to help avoid traffic congestion and crashes. The EN-V intends to offer a solution to city traffic, congestion, parking, poor air quality, and affordability. And, it can travel up to 25 miles on a single charge. Now, the future looks really bright, doesn’t it! The EN-V will run on lithium ion batteries which can be recharged from a standard household outlet. With the help of its global positioning system, vehicle-to-vehicle communications network, and a sensor and camera system, it can operate autonomously once given a set destination or you can drive it manually. So, when you are tired or drunk, you won’t have to hire a taxi, just instruct this little car, or whatever you want to call it, and it will take you home. It can navigate through the complicated city traffic with the help of combined technologies.  The body and canopy of EN-V are built from carbon fiber, custom-tinted Lexan and acrylic, materials which, because of their strength and lightweight characteristics, are used in race cars, military airplanes and spacecraft. So much about the technology and usefulness of the car, but, when it comes to the looks of the EN-V, we are not sure as to how many of us would really care to own it. The EN-V concept looks like an adult-sized stroller! Can you beat that! I mean how many of us would want to be seen in a stroller. Our extreme apologies on this comment but we couldn’t stop writing this. GM has gone ahead to unveil not just one, but three variants of the EN-V concept, namely, Xiao (Laugh), Miao (Magic) and Jiao (Pride). But, in any case, as we have mentioned, it is a concept car and it will take another 10 to 20 years to hit the showrooms if GM goes ahead and produces it. General Motors aims to reposition itself as a leader in fuel efficient cars and is all set to launch its first environmentally friendly vehicle, Volt hybrid, this year.  With the increase of environmental awareness, global auto manufacturers are focussing on making hybrids vehicles. But EN-V concept from GM is extremely odd looking and we wonder what kind of response it will get, supposing that it reaches the production phase. For now, let’s just hope that it remains a concept (Our response) but we are sure that most of you out there would want to see this concept turn to reality considering the size of the car. Labels: EN-V-Variants, General-Motors, General-Motors-EN-V, Jiao, Miao, Xiao
Thursday, 25 March 2010
 General Motors India has been on a roll in 2010. Sales have been at an all time high with the recently launched models, Cruze, Beat and Spark and the future has never looked any brighter for them. And now, amidst all these, GM India is planning to gradually phase out its under-performing sedan, Chevrolet Aveo.
GM India is planning to bring the next generation Aveo, the T type car of the 300 series platform, in the market next year and it will replace the existing Aveo. It has been confirmed by GM India that the current Aveo will not receive any facelift or new powertrains this year. The American automaker had introduced a CNG variant of the Aveo during the Delhi Auto Expo this year. The electric powertrains, which are most suitable for application on small cars, will not be transplanted into the Aveo, but will be launched as electric Spark. "We are set to launch our electric car, E-Spark, by the end of this year in India," GM Motors' Marketing Director, Gaurav Gupta said.
GM India is aiming to achieve double digit market-share in India in a few years and is doing everything in its capacity to do so. General Motors is entering into the Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) segment as well this year. To produce these vehicles, GM has formed a joint venture with a Chinese company, SAIC. GM is expecting to sell 1-lakh units in India this year. Unbelievable, isn’t it. GM is not ready to miss out on any opportunity to increase its market share, sales and total profits. "We are on the growth path. Last year, we sold around 70,000 units. We hope, this year, we can improve this figure to 1-lakh, with a growth rate of about 50 per cent. We are upbeat on our ' Beat' from which we see more than 40 per cent sales emanating," he said. Labels: Aveo, Aveo-Sedan, Chevrolet, Chevrolet-Aveo, Chevrolet-Spark, E-Spark, Electric-Cars, General-Motors, General-Motors-India
Wednesday, 24 March 2010
 Towards the end of last year, after economic recession hit the world badly, General Motors tasted the bitter pill called bankruptcy in the U.S. The company then decided to start off with a fresh approach and innovative strategy. It wanted to see a new dawn for a brighter future. Any guesses what the strategy was? Yes, General Motors planned to set up its used car business. Chevrolet OK was the name and it would sell used cars from General Motors alone as part of the project. Now what? BMW wants to follow. BMW saw other leading market players rejoicing success with their used car wings. It wants to get a similar feel. We heard that the company will open its first used car showroom in Chennai. When? The inauguration will happen very soon, in April this year. That’s not all. It has plans of opening a second used car showroom in Gurgaon sometime during the second half of this year. Isn’t that a great step to move ahead? The car industry is already enjoying success with the increase in sales it has seen since January this year. February was the best month ever in the history of many car makers. BMW’s used car business venture, BMW Premium Selection would soon spread the virus to all major cities in India. Who knows, you may soon see one in your city. Isn’t that great? It is indeed going to be a quality business. The proficient BMW engineers and technicians will select cars eligible for resale. The selection would be only after a thorough inspection. Also, the used BMW cars will be sold on warranty. It is probably going to be a comprehensive 2-year or 40,000-km warranty whichever is earlier, 24-hour roadside assistance, test driving, and also individual financing. What do you think BMW has in mind about the business? BMW expects the used car business to contribute to 30 per cent of the total sales. The company, however, is not new to the used car industry. It sells used cars in the U.S., Europe and Russia under the BMW Premium Selection programme. With the care that the company takes during the selection of used cars, it sure seems like the new step is going to be a success. The company will be focusing on the car’s health. The engineers will check for details like visible signs of accident damage, defects in paint and tyres, and complete examination of the brake system, shock absorbers, battery and electrical components. Even the mirrors, windows, sunroof, central locking and interior lights, seat belts, fluid levels, clutch, brakes and transmission, wiper blade and washing system will be taken care of. A test drive for performance and noise will be tested. BMW set up shop in India in 2006. Till date it has successfully sold over 8,000 cars in the country. Its sales target for the year 2010 is over 4,000 units. In addition to the pre-owned car business that it plans to start next month, BMW India will also kick off its financial services. This programme is also expected to drastically reduce the financial burden on car buyers. It will certainly guarantee a well-maintained, first-class automobile with a comparatively low price tag. Labels: BMW, BMW-India, BMW-Pre-owned-Cars, BMW-Premium-Selection, BMW-Used-Cars, General-Motors, General-Motors-used-cars, old-cars, Pre-Owned-Cars, Used-Cars
Monday, 22 March 2010
Victory sounds like a nice word to everyone’s ears and to emerge victorious you have to be in league with your counterparts. And competition is a major aspect of that. One of the most important kinds of competition that can be seen in the auto industry these days is the ‘ recall’. Yes, you heard me right. Car recalls have become so common these days that they feel more like a part of the procedure rather than an anomaly. The memories of the latest recalls from Honda, Maruti Suzuki and Toyota are still so fresh in our mind and now we have to make some place for the latest recall venture from American auto manufacturers General Motors. The South Korean subsidy of General Motors is recalling about 60,000 units of its popular models, Cruze and SUV Captiva. About 45,957 units of Sports Utility Vehicle Captiva, which is sold as Winstorm in South Korea, will be recalled due to problems in the steering system. These SUV’s were made between April 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007, the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said in a statement. Along with Captiva, GM will also be recalling about 12,604 of the Chevy Cruze sedan, which were manufactured between Sept. 25, 2009 and March 2, 2010. This time the problem pertains to fuel supply pipes. Chevy Cruze sedan is sold as Lacetti Premiere in South Korea. "GM plans to recall the models with the problems in other countries. But every country has different rules and standards and each GM operation will decide the size and timing of recalls of those cars depending on their own situations," a GM Daewoo official told Reuters by telephone, asking not to be identified. GM Daewoo, which had earlier said that it intends return to profit this year, suffered net losses in 2008 and 2009 amid falling demand in the global downturn. GM Daewoo aims to increase its exports 13 percent year-on-year to 1.6 million vehicles this year, and targets a domestic market share of more than 9.9 percent. Now the recall of its popular Captiva and Cruze models is sure to jeopardize this lofty dream. Labels: Captiva, Chevy-Cruze, Chevy-Cruze-Recall, Chevy-Cruze-Sedan, Chevy-Recall, Cruze, General-Motors, GM, GM Daewoo, GM-South-Korea, Lacetti-Premiere, South Korea, Winstorm, Winstorm-Recall
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
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Well, it is the award season. And we are not talking about one of those mediocre movie awards. We are talking about the top awards in the automotive industry. Yes, the day belonged to General Motors in the design category. Chevrolet Camaro won the 2010 World Car Design of the Year award. In doing so, the Chevrolet Camaro showed the other finalist, Citroen C3 Picasso and the quirky Kia Soul, the exit door.
