[amit]

Gm launched one of America's most well-known brands - Chevrolet. But what chevrolet do we have here?
Chevrolet Forrester - Japanese Suburu
Chevrolet optra - Korean Daewoo
Chevrolet Tavera - japanese Isuzu

Here are some chevy cars avaliable in USA. Will Gm ever bring some of them here? Some models i feel can possibly work here.

Chevrolet Malibu - starting from $19,400 apporx. 2.2ltr ECOTEC 145 bhp engine. or pick a V6 200hp for $21,400approx. here are some pics.



A look at the interiors


Chevy Cavalier - starting $15,000 upto $18,000 (approx Rs. 8.5 lakhs) with the same 2.2 ECOTEC 145hp engine





Lastly, probably THE car that chevy has in it's line up for india. The handsome Equinox SUV. $21560 and the AWD for $23,535 (apporx Rs. 10 lakhs!)3.4L V6 185hp engine with 5speed automatic transmission. This SUv really should have a good potential here.








yea, pricing is something that needs to be looked at. Gm can't import them here cuz the duties will make the cars prohibitively expensive. Equinox will probably sell for Rs. 20 lakhs almost at mercedes levels! So Gm needs to talk to it's vendors and indigenise these cars to meet the pricing target. Will GM get adventourous?

[Shan2nu]

It's basically a "name" game. The Froester with a Subaru badge or the Optra with a Daewoo badge wouldn't have sold as many units, as they have sold under the Chevy brand.

Regards...
Shan2nu

[_Crazi4Speed_]

Thats true...Chevy has a better name than the other brands..but I really dont think you would want the unreliablilties of Chevy cars to be in India..equinox is a good looking suv..but copies a lot from the enoy(another gm) and MDX i feel..

anyhow..even if it were imported through CBU, where I think the duties are not 101 but 65%, it would come to 17 lakhs, which i feel is not bad..surely it would come in the mercedes level, but you cant compare a lower end C class to a huge SUV..they have different mrkts..so it would sell even if the price tag is around 18..and mind you the CRV is also priced at 19k USD which is very close to 22k for this car..so if the crv is priced 15 lakhs this would come to around 17 lakhs or less..making it a great buy since its a bigger car and it surely has better looks than the honda..though this would have the true feel of an SUV where the CRV feels more like a car..so again depends..but I would like to see the equinox in india..one car which I can exempt from the being under the "bad build qualities of the chevy" label..

cheers..

[navin]

why? in my days (when the jap cars we eating detroits lunch) chevy was NOT particularly what you wanted in your garage.

[lamborghini]

since the name game is going so well
what do u guys say about a ferrari palio ........
seriously.
im so happy that fiat launched ferrari in india but i think the ads for the chevy models are better
if fiat can launch pureblood ferrari cars im sure gm can launch pureblood chevy and the the halfbreed daewoos and beauty of a forester

[VTEC11]

Believe it or not, the quality of General Motors (and other american cars) has been rising slowly since the 90's. I myself was surprised after sitting in a 2000 or so malibu. The powertrain was soooo refined and quite could have mistaken it for a japanese car.

Also, american cars generally sell with big cash rebates and/or 0% financing offers.

[GreenHex]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Shan2nu @ July 21 2004,00:22)]It's basically a "name" game. The Froester with a Subaru badge or the Optra with a Daewoo badge wouldn't have sold as many units, as they have sold under the Chevy brand.

Regards...
Shan2nu

The Chevy Malibu is the Opel Vectra.

That aside, I feel that GM has messed-up the naming of their vehicles in India. The Subaru brand is better suited to the kind of vehicles launched with the Cheverolet name.

To an Indian, a Cheverolet is a huge, H-U-G-E car, no vans and Santro and M800 equivalents need apply...

Also the Chinese version of the Optra (whatever they call it) looks so much better

God knows where/ which ad agency/ auto drivers/ Santro drivers these companies get their inputs from!

mvk

P.S. - My bias is showing, right?

[abhi1309]

Chevy malibu is not the Opel Vectra, both are super different cars.

[raki]

The last one the SUV is really good and hope so they get this car into India in near future

[nickatnite]

This is the latest Chevy Malibu and is quite a stunning design for an utilitarian car. GM should introduce this car in India. This car is based on the European Vectra.

Pic credit: scout.com

[sriramv.iyer]

Btw, You missed out Chevy Spark which is a Daewoo Matiz!

Recent Chevy cars are pretty good - The engines are quite powerful and are enthusiastic to drive - I have personally driven Chevy Malibu (Btw, the Malibu in the first picture is of previous generation) and Chevy Impala. Both cars were spacious and excellent to drive around. (Since I rented them, I dont have any idea about A.S.S or spares)

But the problem with the American cars - GM (Chevrolet), Ford etc is that fuel efficiency is not one of their strengths. So, they are having a tough time even in US now (thanks to highest gasoline prices ever in US). If they get the same cars in India, they would be mauled!

I am sure even the latest Hyundai Sonata Embera (Petrol, that does a good 167 BHP) does not sell because of its low fuel efficiency (6-7 kmpl)

But reviews of the latest Malibu are very good, and its fuel efficiency seems pretty good too (Claiming 32 miles per gallon ~ approx 13.5 kmpl!)
[see: New powertrain for Chevy Malibu offers fuel economy edge - International Herald Tribune]

In short, though I'd like these american beauties strutting in our motherland, unless they work on their fuel efficiencies, India does not have a market for these cars (enthusiast's market does not suffice!)
[New Malibu: Chevrolet | 2008 All New Malibu from Chevy]

[supremeBaleno]

A 4-year old thread gets a new lease of life. But nothing much seems to have changed at GM though in this period.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by abhi1309

Chevy malibu is not the Opel Vectra, both are super different cars.

Both Malibu and the Vectra are based on the GM Epsilon platform, as does the Aura and Saab 9-3. The New Insignia sits on Epsilon II.

[sridharps]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

A 4-year old thread gets a new lease of life. But nothing much seems to have changed at GM though in this period.

GM posted a $15.5 bn dollar quarterly loss, last friday. It's sales in US went down by 20%. These are tough times for the company.

In short, though I'd like these american beauties strutting in our motherland, unless they work on their fuel efficiencies, India does not have a market for these cars (enthusiast's market does not suffice!)

I think you hit the nail here, at least on some of the beauties below. However, the GM sales/marketing has also been found wanting - Spark is the most fuel efficient in it's category and nowhere near market leadership in it's segment. Leave these beauties below - why doesn't GM introduce Spark with the 1.3 MJD diesel engine?
All this tells me that GM has too much on it's hands now - and India is perhaps not the most important market as perceived by GM now.

This is the latest Chevy Malibu and is quite a stunning design for an utilitarian car. GM should introduce this car in India. This car is based on the European Vectra.

One word - wow!

[aaggoswami]

The things might change now. Chevrolet is coming up with Cruze that will be new Optra. But here also the development hand could be somewhat from Daewoo.

However, this car is developed mainly after GM took over Daewoo, so we can consider it as real Chevrolet.

Both Malibu and the Vectra are based on the GM Epsilon platform, as does the Aura and Saab 9-3. The New Insignia sits on Epsilon II.

Isint it that the Aura and Malibu are based on extended Epsilon platform, just like SX4 is based on extended Swift platform. Here the Saab 9-3 is not based on extended but regular Epsilon platform.