GM India studying market to launch Chinese LCVs

General Motors India is conducting market research for launching the light commercial vehicles from its Chinese joint venture partner SAIC and may also look at exporting them.

"Currently, we are conducting market research for introducing our products in India through our joint venture," Shanghai General Motors Corporation executive president Joseph YH Liu said. But he declined to give more details.

GM India, which was converted into a 50:50 joint venture between General Motors and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) last year had announced that the JV would introduce Chinese LCVs in the country by the end of this year.

"After the partnership with SAIC, GM India has a wider menu to choose from with products from SAIC also available. By the end of next year or early 2012, we plan to launch LCVs in one-tonne capacity, which could be simultaneously followed by passenger cars," GM India President and Managing Director Karl Slym had said at the announce of the JV.

Liu said GM India may also look at exporting SAIC's LCVs to markets like South America and Southeast Asia. However, the company's primary focus would be on establishing the commercial vehicles business in India first.

The company said the JV will help GM India emerge as a volume player in India in the shortest time. "Introduction of commercial vehicles and other India-suitable models will result in volume growth and additional export opportunities will create more jobs and generate revenue for our company," GM India vice-president P Balandran said.

Last December, General Motors had formed a 50:50 JV investment company, General Motors SAIC Investment, with SAIC, earmarking a total investment of about $650 million.

The company had announced at that time that commercial vehicles would to be rolled from the Halol facility after shifting the production of some of the GM India's existing products, such as multi-utility vehicle Tavera and Aveo, to Talegaon.

GM India currently manufactures the Chevrolet modles like Spark, U-Va, Aveo, SRV, Optra Magnum, Cruze, Tavera and Captiva at its two facilities in Halol and Talegaon.