General Motors to wrap India sales: Chevrolet cars that will say farewell

NEW DELHI: One of the biggest auto makers in the world,

General Motors

began its India journey in 1996 - much before the likes of Renault and Nissan, and around the same time as Hyundai. 21 years on, the American company has under one per cent share in the otherwise vibrant Indian car market.

For

GM

, the journey of 21 years has hardly been vibrant - failing to find a foothold here even as rivals pushed the pedal to accelerate. In a market dominated by Maruti Suzuki 800s, GM offered Astra under the Opel brand. While the car did come as a fresh and premium package, it could not find mass appeal. From hereon, the company dabbled with Corsa and Vectra under Opel and a number of vehicles under the

Chevrolet

brand. Barring momentary jolts of success, not one car managed to become a common sight on Indian roads. Another problem may have been GM's inability to connect with its buyer base. "They (Chevrolet) failed to invoke a connection with the general masses," says Col. YS Katoch, co-founder of CarXpert, a service-providing company for multi-brand cars. "The decentralized dealer model seems to be the pain point for the company where there was no control over pricing and other after sales services."

Agrees Nitin Vaijal, an independent car-trading analyst, who says Chevrolet's image value never really took off in India. "Some of their vehicles were good and solid offerings. The Optra is a case in point. But many found taking their cars to the service centers as an uphill task. A section of buyers who still went for these cars eventually began leaning elsewhere," he says.

While GM has promised to continue providing service and spare parts to owners of Chevrolet cars in India despite folding sales, here's taking a look at GM's Chevrolet current offerings will now bid farewell to Indian shores.

Chevrolet Tavera: This may well have been one GM's biggest success stories in India. At a time when Tata Sumo and Toyota Qualis ruled the roads - especially highways - Tavera managed to attract buyers courtesy its balance between space and power. The car also received two face lifts but still began appearing rather jaded in recent years. That over 100,000 Taveras were recalled in July of 2013 after it failed emission tests also hurt its image and that of the company.

Chevrolet Beat: The small-car segment in India has always been the most fiercely fought. GM for a while looked like it had a challenger to Maruti Suzuki Alto when it introduced Beat - especially with the promise of 'no-cost' post-sales maintenance for three years. The car was first showcased at the 2007 New York Auto Show and was brought to India in 2010. The 1.2-litre petrol engine was peppy and the 'Transformer-like' looks worked for many. A diesel variant was later introduced as well. After a decent run of a few years though, the car failed to keep up with what new rivals were offering and how established rivals were re-inventing themselves.

Chevrolet Spark: This small car was based on the

Daewoo

Matiz platform and like Beat, was projected as a low-maintenance car. The car, however, failed to upstage more popular cars from rivals like the Alto and Hyundai's Santro.

Chevrolet Cruze: Banking on making a style statement in the premium sedan segment, Cruze found quite a few takers when first launched in India in October of 2009. Available then in two versions and in diesel only, the car was raved about for not just its stylish exteriors and a futuristic cabin but for its sporty drive too. It was meant more for the driving enthusiast than the casual owner. With advent of compact SUVs in India at lesser price points, executive sedans have suffered setbacks and the Cruze too fell behind in the race.

Chevrolet Captiva: Many considered this as one of the best SUVs in India when launched in 2009. It had contemporary looks, a tall stance and third-row seating. Although commanding a premium price, the car fared reasonably well and many can still be seen doing the rounds on Indian roads. What made the going tough though was more aggressive offerings in the premium SUV segment with Ford Endeavour and Toyota Fortuner outselling it by a mile.

Chevrolet Trailblazer: Looking to make Toyota and Ford sweat, the Trailblazer was launched in India in 2015. Offered in 2.5 and 2.8-litre diesel and 3.6-litre petrol options, the car was positioned as an urban SUV capable of taming the outback. Pricing was on cue too at a starting price of Rs 26.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) but one would have expected it to undercut competition. And the new Endeavour and Fortuner ensured that Trailblazer did not become a household name here.

Chevrolet Enjoy: One finds the occasionally seen Enjoy doing the rounds in cab fleets as the MPV was just too bland and boxy to inspire an increasingly looks-conscious market. Launched in India in 2013, it was primarily aimed at the successful Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. The car had a soft suspension, decent handling, airy interiors and a diesel variant as well. It was also cheaper than its main rival although it missed out on creature comforts doing the rounds in cars of the time. The primary reason behind Enjoy not being enjoyed by many could have also been the reluctance of choosing a GM over other brands.

Chevrolet Sail and Sail U-VA: The company tried to create a buzz around the U-VA when it was first showcased at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo. Offered subsequently in seven colour options, the hatchback was available in 1.3 diesel engine and 1.2 petrol option. Subsequently, the Sail sedan was also launched in both petrol and diesel. The Dynamic Sculpture Design Philosophy on which the cars were based on soon became a tad too plebeian.

Discontinued models:

Forester, Optra, Optra SRV, Aveo and Aveo U-VA were efforts made by GM to carve a niche for itself in the Indian market but falling demand resulted in their eventual demise from here. Many customers also complained that service parts for these vehicles were either not readily available or expensive.