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GM lines up new mini to Beat rivals

General Motors' new mini car, which is due to be rolled out by year-end, will be based on the Beat concept showcased at the New York
Auto Show two years ago. The car will sport a small diesel and petrol engine, and be the third-small car in GM’s stable, after Spark and Aveo U-VA.

It will be a premium mini and take on the likes of Skoda Fabia and Honda Jazz. GM will invest $50-60 million (Rs 200-250 crore) in tooling and equipment for the model.

Speaking to ET, GM India president and MD Karl Slym said: "The new mini car will rollout of our Talegaon plant near Pune. With this new factory, our capacity will exceed domestic needs for the first time. India will be the export hub for the new mini car."

The mini car will be locally made and not kit-assembled. "We are moving away from the completely knocked-down kit assembly, with this product. The engine and transmission will come from our new powertrain facility and the new stamping plant in Talegaon will cater to this project," Mr Slym said.

GMI's new powertrain (engine and transmission) plant, in which it invested $200 million (around Rs 800 crore), will crank out small petrol and diesel engines in the 1-1.5 litre range.

"This will go into our vehicles, including the new mini car, and also cater to export allocations," said Mr Slym.

While GM India will supply the mini-car to GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GMDAT), from which it has been sourcing Spark and U-VA, it will also look for business outside the GM fold. "There is a lot of opportunity as business is tough and capital investment is restrained. So auto companies are working as partnerships...we will look at both the GM family and outside for exports," Mr Slym said.

Based on the Beat concept, which has a funky and futuristic design, the new mini car will be positioned above the Spark. "It will be a high-end small car,” said Mr Slym. And although it may overlap with stablemate Aveo U-Va, "the two products will not cater to the same customers as the new car will be very different from the design point of view," he added.

Given that the small car market comprises more than 80% of India’s total car sales, GM is looking at tapping this market by offering multiple products under its Chevrolet badge. "The small car market is compartmentalising into different segments and hence, our multi-product strategy," Mr Slym said.

GM’s new mini car will slug it out with other products in the premium hatchback segment, including the just-launched I20 and soon-to-debut Honda Jazz.

'The Chevy Beat was first showcased with two mini concepts, the Groove and Trax. Although it was designed to cater to environment-friendly and mileage-conscious urban youth, it was evident that there would be many takers in emerging markets such as India.

GM invested over $1billion in India, including $300 million in the new factory in Talegaon and $200 million in its old factory at Halol in Gujarat.

GM lines up new mini to Beat rivals- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

cool_techie_tvm

Thanks for the info

saurav_k

thanks for the info. i just checked out some pics on google. this car really looks cool

cool_techie_tvm

Would u be kind enough to post some of those photos?

panchabhut

Can u provide the links?

saurav_k

sorry for the late reply ...

probably this is the one we are talking about



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