Last week IndianAutosBlog.com caught the new Captiva testing near Mumbai. We posted pictures talking about the updates to its exterior and the introduction of a high-power diesel engine . In addition to this, IAB readers learned months ago that the replacement is ruled out in 2011.
Last evening our reader Vishal Bharath from Mumbai sent us a video clipping of the same mules waiting in line at a toll booth. For 20-25 lakh rupees, customers will be spoiled for choice next year as competing models are gearing up war.
At IAB, we believe in busting rumors that are floating around the market so that the car buyer can make an informed decision.
One such rumor is the speculated facelifted Captiva for the Indian market. The Chevrolet Captiva was launched in India two years back and the sales of this soft roader have started to bottom out at 150 units per month.
At Paris motor show 2010, Chevrolet displayed the 2012 Captiva that would replace the current Captiva in the respective markets. The 2012 Captiva adopted a new front fascia with a range of enhancements to the interior, engines and transmissions. Considering the existing sales were dwindling, the product is a CBU and there is already a new model in the portfolio, it fueled speculation that there is a new Captiva coming this Diwali.
IndianAutosBlog.com caught up with the Director of Sales for GM India Vikas Jain recently and asked him about the new Captiva.
Director of Sales for GM India Vikas Jain to IndianAutosBlog.com -
We have enough demand for the Captiva and we are still not able to meet the current demand. So we will not be launching the facelifted Captiva this year. GM India will completely focus on volumes of 2011. The Captiva segment as such doesn’t align with that strategy
GM plans to become a volumes player in India in the coming year. They have launched the Beat Diesel and have an ambitious target of 7,500 units (both petrol and diesel) for each month of the year 2011. Together with the Spark and the U-VA, they want to crack 10,000 units of hatchbacks sold every month.
Furthermore, there are no plans to manufacture the Captiva in India or assemble it. It will continue to remain a CBU.
Locally manufactured Chevrolet Cruze, RHD Captiva not affected by recalls
This missed our eye.
A week ago, General Motors India has assured that the Captiva and Cruze sold in India are not affected by the global recalls as they are right hand drive models and manufactured post the date of manufacture of recalled vehicles.
P Balendran, Vice President (Corporate Affairs), General Motors India -
There is absolutely no connection of the recalls in Korea to the Indian operations and as such there are no recalls here. The recalls only cover left hand drive vehicles while India is a right hand drive market. Though the Captiva is imported into the country as complete built unit from Korea, the car anyway was launched later than the time frame for which the recalls are stipulated.
GM recalled 45,957 units of Winstorm (Captiva) sports utlilty vehicles and 12,604 units of Lacetti Premiere (Cruze) compact sedans due to problems in their steering wheels or fuel hoses.
The refreshed Captiva comes with new design, engine and additional gear.
By mid-2010, General Motors will launch the facelifted Chevrolet Captiva with a 2.2-liter diesel engine. Co-developed with VM Motori in Italy, the new 2.2-liter engine is expected to boost fuel economy and reduce emissions to Euro 5 levels.
The power and torque values are reportedly 10% better now. The new model could come with a 6-speed manual transmission, a gear more than the existing model. The front fascia could be sharper to give the vehicle a more distinct feel. The Captiva’s headlamp and grille were never its design highlight. The facelifted model should change that.
The existing Captiva, imported from Korea, comes with a 2.0-liter diesel engine.
Entry posted on July 20, 2009 by
Dave;
Read More on Chevrolet
GM’s mass market car for emerging markets – The Chevrolet Agile, has been featured on IAB numerous times, mostly in the form of spyshots. But not many of us got to see the interiors until now.
The car was caught in San Antonio de Areco (Argentina). Despite the reflections in the images, you can see that the Agile is banking on a design code than we see quite often in Chevrolet’s compact segment. Besides the large seat bolsters, the seat is well inclined with projections for under-thigh support.
Also note the circular air-vents, which has become quite common in all small cars. The gear shift position and the high placement of the air conditioning system is similar to the layout in Chevrolet Captiva SUV.
Among other details you might also notice that the steering wheel is three spoked, which is going to be the trend in the new generation models yet to come from GM.
Entry posted on July 17, 2009 by
Dave;
Read More on Chevrolet
Fahrmitgas.de – the official supplier of LPG systems for Chevrolet, has developed its version Chevrolet Captiva called MOONLANDER to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969.
Thankfully, only 40 of the MOONLANDERS will be built. For a price of 21,500 Euros one needs to be a complete ‘Lunar’tic to buy one of these, but if you buy one accidentally, worry not for there is a redeeming feature. It comes with a replica space suit with a helmet, so that you can hide yourself from the onlookers! The space suit would actually save the blushes and the pedestrian abuse.
The Chevrolet Captiva, when I last checked, was the best selling SUV in India ahead of its peers CR-V, Endevour and Pajero. In other parts of the world the story isn’t very different, like in Malaysia for instance.
To continue its good run in the Malaysian market, General Motors has unveiled a new feature-rich variants of the Captiva to extend the gap to the X-Trail and CR-V.
Several versions of the Chevrolet Captiva 7-seater are on sale in Malaysia but all of them come with either the 2.0-liter turbo diesel that produces 320Nm of torque from 2,000rpm making it easy to drive in the city or the 2.4-liter petrol that is good for 136hp and 220Nm at 2,200rpm. Both engines share relationships with the same 5-speed auto box.
German tuner Irmscher, to make it more pleasing to the eye, has added visual enhancers to the Chevrolet Captiva and we have to hand it to them, they have done a good job. The engine does not get a bump in displacement, neither have the electronics been fiddled with.
