President and Managing director of GM India, Mr.Karl Slym addressing the media yesterday said the first SAIC passenger vehicle will come out during the first half of 2012. The vehicle will be manufactured at Talegaon with components arriving from local suppliers.
President and Managing director of GM India, Mr.Karl Slym -
We will move all cars to this plant to make room for CVs at our Halol plant, which will also roll out the first LCV as part of its joint venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) Motors by the end of 2011. The first passenger car as part of this JV from Talegaon will be rolled out in the first half of 2012.
Slym said the Talegaon facility will produce engines up to the capacity of 1.5 liter. The Halol facility, which presently manufactures Spark, Aveo and Tavera will be utilized for rolling out SAIC commercial vehicles of sub-1 tonne capacity. He did not divulge information on the body style of this vehicle but it is widely believed that it will be a small car in the size range of the Tata Nano. The vehicle’s design has been carried out by Chinese engineers.
Source – DNA Money
[...] as a ‘Chevrolet’ alongside the low cost hatchback and possibly produce it at the Talegon facility along with the new GM-Wuling’s low cost car speculated as the Nano’s [...]