General Motors India has announced its plans for India through a press conference in New Delhi followed by the unveiling of the Trailblazer SUV and Spin MPV. Although GM comprises of multiple brands internationally, in India only the Chevrolet brand remains functional and the iconic American has not been performing as per expectations off late. Keeping that in mind, the company has announced big plans for India which include an investment of $1 Billion and 10 new models by the end of 2020. The other big announcement was regarding the manufacturing facilities as they will stop operations at the Halol plant in Gujarat in the second half of 2016 and shift all production to the new Talegaon plant in Maharashtra. “Chevrolet is committed to India for the long term,” said Barra, Executive Vice President, GM. “We are delivering on our promise and doubling our investment in India. This will allow us to provide our Indian customers the great vehicles they want and the world-class customer experience they deserve. It will also support the government’s Make in India program.” Read all about Chevrolet India plans-
As far as the vehicle line-up is concerned, Chevrolet has confirmed the launch of the Trailblazer SUV, Spin MPV and an all new Beat which will spawn multiple models including a notchback i.e. compact sedan. However, no mention of the next gen Chevrolet Cruze was made which puts a big question mark over the sedans future. Here’s a list of confirmed launches from Chevrolet-
1. Trailblazer
The Trailblazer SUV was showcased at the press conference and has now been launched just in time for the festive season. It will take on the Toyota Fortuner in India. The SUV is priced at INR 26.4 lacs and will gets an automatic transmission, touchscreen infotainment system with navigation, etc.
[box type=”shadow” ]Chevrolet Trailblazer Launch[/box]
2. Spin
The Spin MPV will not make it to India until the early part of 2017. It was earlier being speculated that the car will be hitting showrooms by the end of 2015 or early 2016, but that will not be the case. The MPV will go up against the Maruti Ertiga, Honda Mobilio and Renault Lodgy.
[box type=”shadow” ]Chevrolet Spin MPV Details and Pictures[/box]
3. Beat
An all new model of the Chevrolet Beat will be developed specifically for India and other countries such as Brazil, China and Mexico. This car will be different than the next gen beat that was launched in Korea recently and will be an amalgamation go the current car and the international model. It will also be based on a new platform that will spawn a family of models including a compact sedan or notchback.
Other models are also in the pipeline as GM has promised 10 new models in the next five years. They also highlighted the fact that in 2020 the oldest Chevrolet in the market will not be more than 3 years old. As part of their growth strategy for India, Chevrolet aims to double its market share by the year 2020.
Stay tuned for more on Chevrolet India and other news from the automotive world.
