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GM may roll out non-Opel brands

BS Corporate Bureau

General Motors, the world's largest auto manufacturer, has for the first time since its entry into India, said it is considering the launch of cars from outside the Opel stable.

The company, which has a presence in India in the form of a wholly owned subsidiary, General Motors India, currently offers three models, all of which are products of its German subsidiary, Opel - Astra, Corsa and Swing.

Aditya Vij, president & managing director of General Motors India, said: "We are considering new models for future launch in India, including some non-Opel models. We are currently studying the market to decide on the right product."

Vij did not divulge any more details on the models, which are being considered. However, auto analysts feel that General Motors, which has over 288 subsidiaries operating in over 200 countries, has many options to choose from.

Apart from Opel, General Motors cars are currently sold under the brand names of Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall.

The company is also likely to introduce the Opel Vectra, a premium sedan in the D-segment in the near future. GM, which has its manufacturing facility near Vadodara in Gujarat, can currently manufacture 12,500 cars per annum (on a single shift basis).

The company's Astra and Corsa currently have a 12 per cent and 13 per cent market share in the low-end and high-end of mid-sized cars segment, respectively. It hopes to sell around 200 units per month of its station wagon, Swing, which comes with 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre engine options. The company is also planning to increase the local content in the Swing to around 70 per cent from the current 58 per cent in the coming months.

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