Chevrolet India debut on cards

One of America's premier automobile brands, Chevrolet, is making an entry into the country in a couple of months' time.

General Motors India, the subsidiary of the world's top automobile company GM, said it will launch the first vehicle under the Chevrolet brand within a couple of months.

"At least a couple of vehicles will be launched this year under the Chevrolet brandname, names of which are still under wraps," General Motors India president and managing director Aditya Vij said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Sources said that GM is likely to launch the Subaru Forester, a sports utility vehicle, and the Isuzu Panther under the Chevrolet umbrella.

It may even consider launching a few vehicles from the GM-Daewoo stables, a possibility which Vij did not deny at the conference.

In the past few years, GM has been utilising the Chevrolet tag on vehicles from other car companies it has alliances with to tap the growing Southeast Asian markets.

Vij said, "Chevrolet aims to become the choice of a mainstream market by delivering better value through styling, features and performance."

In India, GM began its saga in the liberalised regime by launching the Opel brand, but sales have remained insignificant despite products such as the Astra, Corsa and the top-of-the-line Vectra.

"Opel signifies German technology and sturdiness, and GM will continue to give it a premium positioning in India," Vij said.

It is now evident that the US car major is trying to tap the mass market by launching several new models under the American brand.

"The vehicles would be introduced as part of the company's strategy to become a volume player, while Opel will have the premium cars," said Sandeep Dixit, national marketing manager.