GM India
Written by Bill Bowman
Chevrolet first entered India in 1928. General Motors was the first company to set up an automotive assembly plant in India. The first Chevrolet car in India was the National Series AB Touring with wooden wheels. Chevrolet however, had to close shop in India in 1954 following Indian national policy, and the Indian Chevrolet went on a sabbatical. Although it closed operations in 1954, it has been in the Indian market as a part of tie-ups with Hindustan Motors to produce Bedford trucks, Vauxhall cars, Allison transmissions and off-highway equipment. In 1994, General Motors India was incorporated as a 50-50 joint venture with C.K. Biria Group of Companies. In 1999 it became a fully owned subsidiary of General Motors when General Motors Overseas Corporation bought the remaining shares.
Chevrolet made its comeback in India in 2003 and has emerged as one of the fastest growing brand names in India. GM India has expanded its dealership network to 95 sales points and over 110 service centers. The network is still being expanded to cater to its recent entry into the mini-car segment with the Chevrolet Spark. In addition, two new parts distribution centers have also been set up in Maharashtra and Delhi to supplement the two existing centers in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
GM India is the pioneer in introducing several industry first programs including a centralized 24x7 call center to attend to customer complaints and provide any information related to GM India’s products and services. Chevrolet also provides additional peace of mind to its customers with an industry first assurance of fixed cost for 45,000 kilometers or three years on service and maintenance with a “Cost of Ownership” program. A customer can pay a predetermined, fixed amount while buying a Chevrolet product rest assured that if its maintenance costs exceed this predetermined amount, the difference will be reimbursed. Other first programs introduced by the company earlier included chauffeur training programs, mobile road show caravans, the OK 5-Star pre-owned car program, and a best in class warranty of three years/100,000 kilometers, service holidays and fuel economy rallies.
GM India presently produces the Chevrolet Optra Magnum, the Chevrolet Tavera, the Chevrolet SRV, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Chevrolet Aveo U-VA and the Chevrolet Spark at its plant in Haiol near Baroda, Gujarat. Hindustan Motors originally built this General Motors plant and in 1994 General Motors modernized it. In 2007, the capacity was expanded from 60,000 units to 85,000 units to meet increased demand for Chevrolet vehicles. In the meantime, GM India’s second plant (being constructed at Talegaon, near Pune in Maharashtra) is expected to be in operation by the last quarter of 2008, with an initial annual production of 140,000 vehicles.
Tag Cloud
 |
English |