Indian Car Blog – Carazoo.com

GM Launches The Next Generation Chevrolet Captiva 2.2 AT In India

General Motors India launched its premium sport utility vehicle, the new next generation Chevrolet Captiva 2.2 AT, on 27th June 2012. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Lowell Paddock, President and Managing Director of General Motors India, commented: “The Captiva has been warmly welcomed in markets around the world due to its combination of distinctive styling, refinement, best-in-class safety, comfort and versatility and powerful yet frugal diesel powertrain. In India, it has established a clear niche for itself in the premium SUV segment. The Captiva is everything our customers across India have come to associate with the Chevrolet nameplate. The premium SUV is priced in the range of Rs18.74 to Rs25.59 lakhs in India.

An alluring combination of rugged and sophisticated exteriors, the striking Captiva 2.2 AT is built to turn heads. The car sports a fresh and new muscular design with a boldly contoured hood, aggressive clear-lens projection headlamps and a pronounced signature. The SUV accommodates 5+2 adults and up to 1,565 liters of cargo through a flexible seating arrangement.

The highly practical SUV provides good comfort and luxury features including cruise control, third row heating, ventilation and air conditioning apart from an electric parking brake, rain sensing wipers and a stylish sunroof apart from bottle and cup holders, parking ticket holder and three 12-volt power holders amongst others. The car provides an integrated 2-DIN CD/MP3 player with six speakers. Features including tinted automatic windows, power mirrors and eight-way power adjustable driver seat and electronic climate control system with particle filter come as standard in all versions of the car.

The Chevrolet 2.2 AT is powered by a 2.2 liter engine which generates 186.5 bhp @ 3800 rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission system. Maximum torque of 424 Nm is produced at 2000 rpm. The four-link independent rear suspension system and McPherson struts up front ensure smooth handling even on uneven surfaces. A unique level ride suspension system in the car automatically maintains nominal ride height under differing load conditions, contributing to assured road clearance and optimal ride quality.

Safety of the new Chevrolet has been fortified with six airbags, driver and front passenger airbags, seat side and roof side airbags, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters apart from the height adjustable front seatbelts which come as standard features. The four-channel ABS with brake assist-equipped discs provides optimum pedal pressure when an emergency braking situation is sensed. The Captiva has been built to distribute crash forces over defined load paths.

To describe the new Captiva in simple words, the SUV is a refined power-packed vehicle combined with spacious luxury and excellent road presence. Mr Paddock commented, “When you add it all up, the Chevrolet Captiva offers everything any discerning Indian car buyer could want in the premium SUV space – and most importantly, at a price point that represents un-matched value for money.
Chevrolet forayed into the Indian markets in 2003 and emerged as the fastest growing automotive name plates in the country. The company currently sells its products in more than 140 countries, building a reputation for providing fuel efficient, safe and reliable high quality vehicles which provide value for money. The company currently retails the Captiva, Optra, Cruze, Aveo, Aveo U-VA, Spark, Beat and Tavera in India.
GM India currently has 279 sales points and 272 authorized service outlets across India which it plans to expand in the near future.

posted by somdatta.basu @ Thursday, June 28th, 2012 Comments Off links to this post

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February 15, 2011

GM India to launch iconic Cadillac by 2013

Cadillac Logo
India has become a lucrative destination for most of the world’s ultra-luxury carmakers to peddle their goods here. General Motors India, which sells automobiles under the Chevrolet brand such as Spark, Beat, Aveo, Aveo , Tavera, Cruze and Captiva is now planning to go umarket by bringing in the iconic Cadillac brand to India by 2013.

GM India’s President and Managing Director, Karl Slym recently said, “Our Chevrolet brand is doing extremely well as every 8 seconds somebody buys our cars. This is a good indicator and India is a growing market with the demand for luxury cars growing…we are looking at introducing our premium brand, Cadillac over the next couple of years.”

The fact that Indian luxury car segment has been growing at a tremendous rate is what makes the Indian luxury car segment the most sought after in recent times. In 2010, sales of the luxury cars grew by 70 percent compared to the previous year rown by 70 per cent as compared to the previous year, thus indicating the rise in demand for such cars and acceptance of new brands.

Cadillac, the Detroit-based carmaker, came into existence in 1902 and has a presence in 39 countries globally except in markets such as South America, India, SE Asia and Australia. If, the brand comes to India, expect the cars from Cadillac to be priced around Rs 60 – 70 lakh upwards. Cadillac, will complete a century in 2011 and the portfolio includes cars and trucks in 31 countries, and sells and services these vehicles through the following division, Buick, GMC, Opel , Vauxhall, and Holden, besides Chevrolet and Cadillac.

2011-Cadillac-CTS-V-Coupe

“Cadillac is a luxury brand and people in India have a brand recall for the same. We have also done a study and have found that it will not be difficult for us to launch the iconic brand in the country,” Slym added.

Upbeat on the performance of Chevrolet in the Indian market, Slym said India is a strategic market for the company and the focus going ahead would be on services rather than sales and also said “Around half a million Chevrolet cars run on Indian roads. Its the fifth-largest brand in India. For the parent company, India is the sixth-largest market. While we grew at 60 per cent last year, the overall industry grew at 31 per cent. We are looking at a double-digit growth this year,” Slym said.

posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 Comments Off links to this post

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May 27, 2010

GM and Reva Breakup Story

chevy_electric_spark_delhi_-3
Mahindra and Reva became friends and on the same day we see GM India deciding to leave Reva. Possessiveness ah? The confirmed news of Mahindra buying majority stake in Reva was made public on Wednesday and General Motors couldn’t stand it. Speculation says that GM may pull out of its collaboration with Reva Electric Car Co. Last year, GM India had tied the knot with Reva to develop an electric version of its popular small car, the Spark, which was scheduled to hit the roads sometime this year.

“We may not continue the Spark EV programme with Reva in the light of this development and will pursue our own electric vehicle programme. An announcement to this effect will be issued soon,” GM India vice-president P Balendran said. India’s SUV and tractor leader, Mahindra and the global leader in low-cost electric-vehicle production, Reva have got together with the idea of sharing expertise in their respective fields. Hopefully, they’ll be very successful. Mahindra & Mahindra acquired 55.2 per cent stake in Reva. While celebrations are on one side, the other side (GM) has gone green with envy.

GM will produce its own EVs. What about the electric Spark? M&M is quite open and has no problem with GM continuing the project. No financial details were revealed. But, Reva’s Chief Financial Officer Rajesh Ramaiah said that some exchange of money had taken place between the two companies. GM has already informed M&M and Reva about its decision to look at an alternative option for the electric Spark programme. Sad but true, isn’t it?
divorce-decree

After tying the knot in September last year, GM India and Reva had announced that the two were looking at both India and overseas markets for the proposed electric small car based on the platform of the Spark and planned to turn the country into a hub for electric vehicles.

There were great plans then and everything is going to change now. The two had planned to roll out the electric Spark in a series of battery options and price points. The proposed version of the car was planned to have up to 90 per cent local components. Both GM and Reva had at that time said that they were open to the option of expanding the electric model to GM India’s other cars too.

Mahindra gained 0.3 per cent to 517.35 rupees in Mumbai the day before yesterday. The stock has fallen 4.3 per cent this year. The car maker’s Xylo and Scorpio models compete with GM’s Tavera utility vehicle and CaptivaSUVs in India. Reva is offering its cars in 24 countries and has sold more than 3,500 vehicles worldwide. The company intends to begin selling the lithium-ion- powered Reva NXR as early as October. The three-door, four-seat hatchback has a top speed of 104 kmph and a range of 160 kilometers per charge. Isn’t that great?
chevrolet_electric_spark_5

But, whose fault is it now? Who’s responsible for the recent breakup? Does the question of Reva’s fidelity pop in, or, is GM over-reacting? It’s hard to decide. Let’s just hope that all goes well with all three; GM, Reva and Mahindra.