Indian Autos blog

General Motors is en route to launch LPG & CNG cars in India in the next few months. This announcement was made after the American company is trying to strengthen the SUV segment by launching the Automatic transmission variant of it’s best selling Captiva, priced at Rs. 20.3 Lakh.

Karl Slym General Motors India President (GMI) and Managing Director confirmed that their strategy for this year is to bring in more fuel efficient cars and introduce vehicles powered by (other) fuels like CNG and LPG, besides having different power-trains and different displacements. The company will be launching a LPG-driven car in the first half of this year.

We speculate it’s the 800 cc version of the Spark which has been in GM’s pipeline for a long while now. The Aveo, which underwent a minor cosmetic surgery last year, will also be blessed with the LPG heart along with a 1.4-liter diesel engine by the end of 2009. A thoughtful move given the slash in LPG prices by the Indian government. No info on the Cruze or the Beat launch dates yet, until then stay tuned to IAB for more information.

It was a perfect day for motorheads like me at the AUTO MALL 2009 sponsored by Relio Quick which was held for a duration of three days- 9, 10 and 11th Jan.

Brands like Skoda, Honda, Hyundai, Chevrolet, Nissan had put their respective cars on display and the big surprise was not a special participant, but the absence of one- India’s top car maker Maruti Suzuki!

A very swift spy photographer has had a shot of heavily camouflaged Chevrolet Beat prototype lounging around at New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology. The camouflaged runabout was spotted in a parking lot on the university’s grounds.

As you may recall, the Chevy Beat was the most popular of a trio of concepts (Beat,Groove & Trax) that Chevy showed to the world at last years New York Auto Show. Based on General Motors’ new global mini-car platform, the Beat was originally designed to be the sportiest of the triplets with only two doors and a 1.2L 16-valve DOHC inline-four cylinder,turbocharged petrol engine mated to either a manual or automatic gearbox.

Speculation has it, that the Chevrolet Beat will be launched in the Korean markets first, as a four door version and without a turbocharger. The production is set to take place there in mid-2009, but with GM struggling to make its ends meet even after receiving the bail-out package, delays should be inevitable.

The latest edition of AutoBild magazine has a rendering of the Chevrolet Beat, along with 24 other cars. Grab a copy- it’s an exciting read full of eye candy.

The Chevrolet Cruze viz. one of GM’s world cars, and will see production in several parts of the globe in 2009, including India . SAIC-GM (a Chinese collaboration) has started the production of the Cruze in its Shenyang factory, with the first fully assembled test model rolling off the line. GM showed off the first production model to the Chinese press, with reportedly many from the GM management on site to celebrate the first models production.

Women and SUVs don’t mix, but if they do, boy! are we in for some great action! This is the most exciting or say the funniest event that happens to an SUV on two wheels!

Chevrolet’s European division has confirmed that the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze’s debut in the European market will remain as per schedule. Its expected to make its European debut in April 09. The company expects to sell about 20,000 to 25,000 units in first year after its launch.

Chevrolet Thailand has recently launched the Aveo E20 in an attempt to use its fuel economy as a selling point.

IAB in an earlier post, talked about the delayed release of Chevy Cruze. Here are more reasons for a much longer delay. In addition to the standard four-door sedan model that Chevrolet debuted in Paris, GM is now considering hatchback and wagon versions of its Cruze in order to “accommodate the ‘individuality’ of markets around the globe and to fill the rest of the range. Because of its global presence,  [ Read More ]