GM India likely to bring a number of diesel cars

KOLKATA: General Motors India is looking at options to launch a number of diesel vehicles in the current fiscal and is open to manufacture TCDi engines to increase its market share from 30 to 50 per cent in this segment.

The company, which currently has diesel variants of Chevrolet Travera and Optra in its fold, aims to sell 26,000 Travera and 8,000 Optra in 2007-08. Last year GM sold 20-23,000 Traveras in India.   

Speaking to mediapersons on Saturday, GM's General Manager-Sales Sumit Sawhney said they currently import the engines from abroad.

With new production facility coming up in Talegaon near Pune, with a total capacity of 1,40,000 units, the company is likely to look at diesel engine manufacturing options.

Mr Sawhney said with the new facility coming up in Talegaon and the existing unit in Halol, with the production capacity being increased from 60,000 to 85,000 units, the company has a number of plans in future.

The company on Saturday launched Optra Diesel Sedan with a price band of around Rs 8.9 to 10 lakh. The company also plans to launch Optra Diesel soon.