Gm Re-Starts Operations At Gujarat Plant
General Motors India has re-started operations at its manufacturing plant at Halol near Vadodara after a 4-day shutdown following the recent communal riots in Gujarat.
Apart from the productivity loss, the company also suffered losses of over 1.4 crore when a riotous mob set fire to 26 new Opel Corsas at one of its dealerships in the state.
A senior company official, while confirming that the company had started operations at its plant, said, "Our plant was closed down for four days during the riots, but we have started operations from Thursday. 26 Opel Corsas were set on fire during the riots, in addition to four trucks used for transporting the vehicles."
The official, however, said the destroyed vehicles were all insured, and that things are "slowly coming back to normal".
General Motors, which currently offers the Opel Astra, Corsa and the Swing in India, has far invested over Rs 600 crore at its facilities in the country. It is preparing ground to launch a D-segment car, the Opel Vectra, and is also considering the launch of its first non-Opel brand, the Isuzu Panther, a multi-utility vehicle. The company entered India in 1994 through a collaboration with the CK Birla group.
Sources said that a dealership of Honda Siel Cars India in Ahmedabad also suffered extensive losses when a mob set fire to it. Honda officials at Noida could not be reached for comment.