With VW snatching the 2nd position from Toyota in terms of total sales, look who is back on top again! General Motors has finally declared its total sales for the year 2011 to be a whopping 9.03 million units.
With this, General Motors can claim to be the numero uno manufacturer of the world. VW sold 8.16 million units in 2011 and although Toyota has yet to report its total volume for last year, but last month the Japanese company estimated its annual sales at 7.9 million vehicles.
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While General Motors India remained in ‘consolidation phase’ for the year 2011, the manufacturer plans to get very aggressive in 2012. The company plans to showcase many new vehicles at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo.
First of which is the brand new Captiva which has been caught testing numerous times. The Captiva will don a new sophisticated look at the front. Some minor changes to the tail lamps will also be present. The most important change is the engine which will be a brand new 2.2L CRDI unit producing 165 PS and 350 NM of torque in both manual and automatic form.
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BMW is betting big of green cars to drive the growth in the future. Recently, they partnered with Toyota to get access to their hybrid technology. Dust hasn’t settled yet and BMW is already in talks with General Motors to get access to their fuel cell technologies.
German weekly business magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported that the two companies plan to join forces over the development of fuel cell technology.
The talks between the two companies are in highly advanced stage according to the media report and the plan would give BMW future access to GM’s fuel cell technology and in exchange, BMW would contribute to the research costs.
Previously, BMW has developed fuel-cell version of both the 1-Series and 7-Series. However, with a dedicated ‘i’ brand in place just for green vehicles, the company is on a rampage to test new fuel saving technologies that could power the future.
With spiraling research and development cost, most companies are forced to have a joint venture that could help them ease the burden. And at the end of the day, the customer gets a value proposition that he/she could afford and enjoy.
Inset – BMW X6M from Auto Expo 2010 has no relation to the story.
General Motors has begun development of an all-new compact electric car for worldwide markets. The car will be launched Internationally sometime next year and could hit Indian shores in 2012-2013. The car could be based on the Electric Networked Vehicle (EN-V) concept electric car which GM showcased in China earlier this year.
General Motors was set to launch the electric version of the Spark showcased at the Auto Expo, in collaboration with the Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) during the festive season this year, but after Mahindra announced an acquisition of 55.2 % of RECC, GM announced that it was pulling the plug on the electric Spark project and that it will go solo on its electric car plans for the Indian market.
Karl Slym, President and Managing Director, GM India to Autocar India -
The mini electric car will suit the congested traffic conditions of Indian cities, and the introduction could be within a couple of years.
Regarding the possibility of the Chevrolet Volt being launched in India, Mr. Slym said that the company was unsure whether the market for such a car existed in India and the number of customers who want to own such a car. The Volt is to be launched abroad in November this year.
GM India has lined up new variants of its existing car lineup for launch over the coming months and will start off with the launch of the LPG version of the Beat during the festive season, followed by the diesel version of the Beat in early 2011. In between these launches, the company will also introduce the upgraded Bharat Stage IV compliant Tavera. The company will also launch the Cruze Petrol and the facelifted Captiva over the next one year.
India is one of the key markets in GM’s worldwide plans. The company after having emerged from bankruptcy, has been on a roll and has drawn up aggressive plans to launch new models in international markets to drive sales and growth further. The company plans to launch 70 new or upgraded models across international markets by the year 2014. India is definitely one of those markets.
The company will be launching new models such as the all-new next-generation Aveo Sedan and Hatchback, Chevrolet Sail Sedan and Hatchback and the Chevrolet Orlando MPV. The company will also be launching new engine or fuel variants of its existing lineup in India like the Beat Diesel, Beat LPG, Bharat Stage IV Complaint Chevrolet Tavera (we learn), Chevrolet Cruze Petrol and the facelifted Chevrolet Captiva.
GM will also be entering the Indian Commercial vehicle market with its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). The company will be launching the Wuling N 200 and 300 series of vans alongwith a pick up truck offering to takes on the likes of the Tata Ace and the Mahindra Maxximo.
With GM having lined up so many models and variants for Indian consumers, it remains to be seen as to how GM prices and positions these products in the Indian passenger car market.
General Motors India is coming strong & confident in the Indian market. India’s 1st 4 door electric car the E-Spark will roll out from the company’s plant at the end of this year. It does not stop there. GM India would be introducing electric vehicles based on the lines of the upcoming Chevrolet E-spark.
GMI tied up with Bangalore based electric car company REVA last year & made it clear that they are exploring the possibility of incorporating electric drivetrain technologies in several Chevrolet models. Karl Slym (President & MD GMI) said the success of electric cars both in India and globally would depend on its affordability and its eventual utility for the end consumer.
The company will gauge the success of the e-spark in India after which it would bring in more electric products. Slym said that the idea behind e-Spark was to see the viability of replicating the same model on its other cars as well. The aim is too see if such products find market acceptance.
Karl Slym in a press statement said that they would want to fully support the customer who buys such a product & plans are in place in terms of supporting consumers for setting up charging points within their own premises.
The company is also in talks with the Government on incentives such as making charging points for EV’s in parking lots, free parking for EV’s & having pay & charge stations. Some state governments have recognized this fact & thus the e-spark will initially be launched in Delhi-NCR & Karnataka only.
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We saw this one coming. Today, the press gathered in the country’s capital to witness a one of kind partnership between two very different auto companies.
It was to convey that GM India and REVA have joined hands to bring out electric vehicles.
The companies will also work with the government to setup the required infrastructure for these vehicles. GM’s platform’s will be handed to REVA who will fit it with their technology. The end product could also be shipped to European countries, which are better prepared to handle electric vehicles.
No word on the vehicles that will enjoy the result of the partnership. The earlier report stated it will be the Spark. We think the new Spark would also be a good idea.
Our sources add within twelve months from this notice, GM India will roll out its first EV.
Let us see.
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General Motors is planning to launch an all new version of its popular Spark hatchback. General Motors hasn’t yet revealed any specifications of it but we expect it to be out soon.
This new variant may come with an 800 CC engine. Currently the Spark comes in four variants, 1.0L, PS, LS and top end LT.
We already saw this one coming. We’ve earlier reported on the LPG Spark variant, along with the Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Mini India plans.
With VW snatching the 2nd position from Toyota in terms of total sales, look who is back on top again! General Motors has finally declared its total sales for the year 2011 to be a whopping 9.03 million units.
