Rumour: GM India halts BS3 Tavera, Sail Diesel production

According to AutoX, General Motors has halted production of three car models in India. Production of the BS3 variant of the Tavera MUV and the Sail diesel hatchback and sedan siblings is said to have been halted on account of certain issues. While production of the BS3 variant of the Tavera is said to be affected by a "potential emissions performance issue", the diesel Sail hatchback and sedan are under the scanner for "quality issues". While General Motors reportedly maintains that the issues specific to these cars are not related to safety, the car maker is said to have instructed dealers to immediately stop selling these models until further notice. 

This rumour comes at a time when the diesel engined variants of the Sail hatchback and sedan have just begun bringing in decent volumes for the American car maker, which continues to struggle in the Indian car market despite operating in India for close to two decades. While we wait for more information about the production halt from General Motors India, speculation is rife about the quality issue of the Sail diesel siblings having to do something with the 1.3 liter turbo diesel engine. If that's the case, the recently launched Chevrolet Enjoy could join the production halt brigade considering the fact that the MPV shares its 1.3 liter turbo diesel engine with the Sail twins. 

Notably, the Sail hatchback, sedan and Enjoy MPV together managed to do over 5,000 units in May 2013 in terms of wholesale dispatch numbers, while the Tavera did about 1,500 units. Total dispatches for General Motors for May 2013 stand at 8,496 units. So, it's pretty evident that these cars represent a huge chunk of production for the American car maker and that any stoppage in production means big trouble. Team-BHP has gotten in touch with General Motors India for clarity on the production halt rumours. We'll be updating this space as soon as GM India responds to our email.