GM India today said that it would launch two new models in 2009. GM India president and managing director Karl Slym told reporters that the new models would be a small car and a sedan. “The small car may be in the same category like Spark or even cheaper. The other model will be in the Honda Civic segment. For the first time in the history of the company, we have excess capacity. This we will leverage,” he added. Have a look at the upcoming models from GM Chevrolet in 2009
Chevrolet Spark 800cc:
Maruti’s Alto and M800 will soon see a true competetior in the form of spark. Yes, spark will be fitted with an 800cc petrol engine. This is the same engine which powered the Daewoo Matiz. The 795cc, 6valve unit pumps out 38KW and torque of 68.6 Nm@4600 rpm. GM will also drop few luxury features enabling it to price competetively against the likes of Alto and 800. Expect the new spark is priced around Rs2,50,000.
Chevrolet Cruze:
First showcased at the 2008 Paris auto show, Cruze is the first vehicle from GM’s new Global Compact Vehicle Architecture or Delta 2, which is a more global, lower-cost alternative to the current Delta platform underpinning the current Optra. The Cruze features Chevrolet’s new global design language that will continue to be a signature element for future vehicles carrying the gold bowtie. Cruze boasts ample interior space, surprising cargo capacity and comfortable seating for five. The Cruze will be powered by GM’s new family of direct-injection, turbocharged four-cylinder engines, likely ranging in displacement from 1.4 liters to 2.0. Cruze will take on the mighty Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla altis and Volkswagen Jetta. However Chevrolet will not phase out the optra but will strip down few features and position it in the City and Fiesta Segment.
Apart from the two new launches, GM India will also launch variants of its existing models.