GM to launch 6 new cars in India

Kolkata, (IANS) Carmaker General Motors (GM) India will launch 14 variants of six new models in the country in the next two years, a top company executive said Friday.

"We will launch 14 variants of six new models in the next 24 months. Among the six, two will be commercial vehicles, which will be launched next year. The other models will be SUV and Sedan, among others," General Motors India president and managing director Karl Slym told reporters here.

He said the company will showcase a mini Chevrolet electric car in Arpil. The car has been developed at GM's Bangalore plant.

He, however, declined to comment on when the electric car will be formally launched in the country.

According to Slym, GM was eyeing at selling two lakh and three lakh cars in 2012 and 2013, respectively, in India.

He also said that capacity of the Halol manufacturing plant, which currently produces 85,000 units, was being expanded to 1.1 lakh units, pumping in $500 million.

Stating that the car industry in India grew by 30 percent last year, Slym said the company's sales grew by 60 percent in 2010.

This year the industry was is expected to grow by 12 to 15 percent and the GM aims growth at twice the market rate, he said.