GM in Auto Expo 2008

The 9th Auto Expo, 2008 in New Delhi has been by far the biggest auto carnival in Asia, covering a floor size of over 1.2 lakh square metres with 10 hangers and seven state pavilions and over 2,000 participants. In terms of innovation also, participants tried their hands on all kinds of ways to attract maximum footfalls. General Motors India, however, being one of them built a floating pavilion on a lake in Pragati Maidan.

On its first-of-a-kind floating pavilion, General Motors India President and Managing Director Mr. Karl Slym unveiled the state-of-the-art Chevrolet Captiva, a premium sport utility vehicle on the day one of the Auto Expo. The Captiva launch took place amidst much applauds from hundreds of media and auto experts from across the country as well as from abroad. The Captiva was positioned against the Mitsubishi Pajero, Honda-CRV, Hyundai Tucson and the likes, and with its aggressive pricing, Captiva started getting rave reviews from all across right from the day of its launch.

General Motors India repeated its gala show again on the subsequent day by facilitating the India debut of five of GM’s newest globally acclaimed production and concept vehicles. GM unveiled the all-new Cadillac CTS, HUMMER H3, Chevrolet T2X concept vehicle, Chevrolet Sequel concept vehicle and WTCC Ultra concept vehicle have received rave reviews around the world. The centre of the attraction, however, has been the Hummer H3, but other cars such as Sequel WTCC Ultra also saw many shoulders peeping in.

The GM India pavilion witnessed tremendous footfalls in all eight days of the auto expo, both in business hours and in normal visiting hours. In acknowledgement to this overwhelming response, GM India ran ‘GM India Spark Contest’ for the customer through the eight days of the expo. The winner of the contest was picked up through a lucky draw which was conducted by renowned model Ms. Meher Bhasin on the concluding day of the expo. The winner was awarded a brand new Chevrolet Spark at a function held at GM Pavilion in the presence of visitors and media people.

New Launch Cars

2007 has been a great year for the car lovers so far. It has witnessed a slew of new launches across all car segments heating up the war amongst all major car manufacturers. This, however, has lead to a healthy competition and a good variety for the customers to choose from.

Car major General Motors India has been leading the way with a series of car launches across all segments. It kick-started the journey with the launch Chevrolet U-VA in January 2007. The saga continued with ‘Chevrolet Optra Platinum’ limited edition, followed by the launch of much awaited 'Chevrolet Spark' in April 2007. GM continued the momentum though the launch of Chevrolet Optra Magnum and New Chevrolet Aveo Anniversary Edition in the subsequent months.

Expanding the small car category further, Hyundai Motors is working on a hatchback — code-named Pa — positioned between Santro and Getz and aimed squarely at the new Zen Estilo.

'Mahindra Renault Logan' hit the India roads in the mid 2007. This was one of the much-awaited vehicles and came with a bang with a fiercely competitive price tag of Rs 4.5-5 lakhs.

This year also made way for the big names. BMW began its journey in India with the 3 series, assembled at its factory in Chennai. DaimlerChrysler also has brought in its M class. Amongst the other prominent launches this year were Maurti SX4, Grand Vitara and Ford Mondeo.

GM India has brought in the Optra Magnum Diesel TCDi and is slated to bring in the diesel version of Aveo by the 3rd quarter of the year. Optra Magnum was placed against the likes of Scoda Octavia, Honda Accord and Toyota Corolla, and it has already been well received by the consumers.

Fast Cars

Exhaustive market research has revealed that there is growing demand for fast cars among the design-oriented consumers and the young executives.

Among the fast cars that we have today, first name that rings a bell is General Motors’ Chevrolet SRV which is India’s first Premium Sportsback car. The SRV’s powerful 1.6-litre petrol engine with VGIS technology has four valves per cylinder and dual overhead camshafts driven by a toothed belt for silent operation. The engine generates 101 PS and 140 Nm of torque. Despite excellent performance characteristics, fuel efficiency is ensured thanks to the engine’s unique VGIS technology, which provides a uniform spread of power and torque from low rpm upward.

Then we have Chevrolet Optra Magnum. Magnum’s Turbocharged Common Rail Direct Injection has an engine utilizes second-generation common rail technology. Diesel fuel is injected at a very high pressure of 1,600 bar through a multi-step injection process. The Optra diesel is faster and more powerful than many petrol driven cars currently on the market, delivering peak power of 120.5 ps and peak torque of 314 Nm (which is more than 100 Nm higher than the Skoda Octavia).

Latest car I want to own

In the past one year all major Indian and Foreign auto makers launched their cars in the rapidly growing auto market of India. Among all these new launch cars Chevrolet’s Optra Magnum is the most admirable car. Magnum looks like Optra from the rear and SRV from the front. Magnum have diesel’s 2.0-litre TCDi (Turbocharged Common Rail Direct Injection) engine the new engine also has an Electric Vacuum Control Turbo, which further enhances performance and this makes it faster and more powerful than many petrol driven cars currently available in the market

The Optra diesel boasts additional technological innovations like a dual mass flywheel, which significantly reduces vibration while idling, and a balanced shaft module, which ensures refined and smooth engine operation. Magnum is powered with the 1991cc engine which gives the power of 121 PS @ 3000 rpm with the average of 13kmpl. Magnum is furnished with the leather upholstery, ABS, Airbags, tilt steering, adjustable seats and all other things which a quality car should have. It has enough legroom for the six feet tall man even with the front seat pushed back to the max. This car is perfectly designed to give a tough competition to its competitor Skoda Octavia. Magnum is Efficient, fast, comfortable, luxurious and the car a person want to buy

New Cars India

In the mid 90’s Government of India liberalized the investment policy and this gave opportunity to the global car makers to venture into Indian car market. Today, most of them have their manufacturing facility in India and are launching their best cars in India to grab the larger chunk of the Indian car market; recently concluded 9th Auto Expo in New Delhi is a perfect example of the same.

General Motors India entered into the SUV segment by launching Captiva under the Chevrolet brand. This premium SUV has thrown tough competition to the existing players in the segment like Mitshubishi Pajero and Honda CRV. The Captiva is equipped with the 2000cc common rail diesel engine with 150 bhp. It is also furnished with luxurious safety features such as safety airbags and ABS.

The German car maker Daimler Chrysler launched the fourth generation Mercedes C-class. In terms of features and dynamics it is closer to BMW. The C-class will be available only with two engine options – the C200K will be powered by a 174 bhp four cylinder engine, while on the other hand the C220 CDI will be propulsion from a 170bhp common-rail diesel engine.

The, Czech arm of Volkswagen – Skoda launched its hatchback Fabia in India. It will be available with 1.4 ltr petrol and diesel engines. It’s a modern European hatchback at the price of Indian Maruti Swift. The diesel engine of Fabia is expected to be much more powerful than the other cars in its class in India.

In between the global car makers, the India cars manufacturers also made their presence felt among them Tata was the major one. Tata launched the second generation MUV Sumo Grande. This new MUV comes up with the Safari’s 2.2 Dicor engine, but with 120 bhp instead of 140 bhp. The Sumo Grande is positioned as an urban utility vehicle that will take on Mahindra's Scorpio and the Toyota Innova.

Car Buying Tips

Since buying a car entails a big expenditure and a major monetary decision, it is advisable to do a little bit of research work and keep some commonsensical things in mind rather than regretting later. Let’s zoom on…

Don’t go with a preconceived notion for or against a particular car and better go for buying a car with an open mind after considering all the pros and cons of the car (technical specifications, mileage etc.). With loads of reliable information available, you should first go for a virtual car shopping which help you in taking an informed buying decision
Equally important is the priority factor, whether you want great pick up or high mileage. Also keep other factors in your mind such as the size of your family and the seating capacity of the car.

If you are buying a car by availing a car loan then decide what is the maximum EMI that you can afford on your present income

Once you have zeroed on the car you want to buy, it is time to negotiate the price. Carry out a survey of different dealers to see if you can get a better price. It is quite possible that some dealers may have a special offer on the model you desire

Before finalizing the deal, always take a test drive to get the feel of the car. Make sure that you are comfortable and satisfied with the car. Check that there is enough leg space, luggage space, steering is not too heavy et al. Finalising the deal and signing the paperwork: As buyer of the car you need to ensure that all the legal forms should be filled in completely and submitted to the right authorities. You have to register the car with the Regional Transport Office. Following documents are required to be submitted to the RTO:

- Application for new car registration or Form 20
- Photocopy of the invoice, insurance policy, ration card or telephone bill as proof of address.
- Original Sale Certificate or Form No 23, Sales Tax Receipt, Octroi Receipt
- Pollution Under Control Certificate from the manufacturer or Form No 22
- Letter from the financier, in case you have taken a loan to purchase a car, addressed to the RTO asking them to endorse their lien on your car registration certificate book or Form No 34
- Your PAN number
- Imprint of your car's Chassis Number

It is always better to go for a used car if you are a greenhorn and have just learnt driving. This way you can refine your driving skills and gain the necessary confidence before investing a substantial amount on new car. Also you can afford a luxury model in relatively less price. But buying a used car has a few downsides too. Used cars have higher maintenance cost as compared to new cars So it is always advisable to go for an expertise advice and a thorough inspection by an experienced mechanic before purchasing. The engine, chasis, tyre and battery condition, air conditioning are the must to consider before buying. The most important advice is a test drive which will help you arrive at the decision whether the car is fit for you or not. Please ensure that the paperwork is in order so as to avoid any fraudulent.

New Launch Cars in India

Gone are the days when the Fiat and the Ambassador were seen in the streets in India. Now the Indian car market is flooded with world class brands and top automobile manufacturers are giving increasing stress on providing better after sales service to its customers.

The recent Auto Expo unveiled many new cars, so in case you are stepping out to drive your dream machine, there is a plethora of option in front of you.

Among new launch cars, the one which remained most popular in Auto Expo this time was 'Nano' from Tata, say it one lakh car or Laktakia, but Tata launched Nano for the people of india, thats why people came to see their Car called peoples car. But the head honchos of GMI were not perturbed. They were in a class of their own.

General Motors India (GMI), has now entered the premium SUV segment, by launching Chevloret Captiva, its new sports utility vehicle in this Auto Expo.

"Captiva has already made its mark in Europe, Australia, South America and Indonesia. And now, it is ready to capture its share of the Indian market. GMI has kicked of the year with a brilliant SUV," said Karl Slym, GM India president and managing director, at the 9th Auto Expo. Captiva could definitely score with the Indian mass since it looks more like a stylish compact SUV that has a three-seater as well as a seven-seater variant.

Chevrolet Captiva is priced to compete with Honda CR-V -which is sold at Rs 18.4 lakh, Pajero - priced at 18.8 lakh and Nissan X-Trail's - it's priced at Rs 23 lakh. The 2-litre diesel driven Captiva will be available to the customers for Rs 17.74 lakh (exshowroom ).

"We believe Captiva will be a successful vehicle on the Indian roads. We hope to sell 1,000 units in 2008," said Slym. The company estimates that the SUV segment would move up from the current 7,000 units per annum to 28,000 units by the year 2012. The company would consider manufacturing the vehicle here if it is able to get requisite volumes.

Reference : The Economic Times dated 13 Jan 2007