GM India may update their current line-up this year, says company chief

General Motors may introduce facelifted models of their existing line-up in India. The company recently appointed Arvind Saxena as the president and MD who took charge earlier this year. He takes over at a very difficult time for the US-based manufacturer. Arvind Saxena has said turning things around will be the biggest challenge of his 30-years plus experience.

The introduction of the Sail hatchback and sedan, along with the Enjoy MUV last year hasn’t done much to the company’s sales figures. Rather, GM’s year-on-year sales has seen a decline of about 30 per cent. Adding salt to the injury was the controversy of falsifying emission data on the Tavera, and GM's reputation has taken a hit ever since. GM's total accumulated loss in India is a large sum of Rs 2,740 crore and their market share has gone down by more than two per cent.

According to the interview with Saxena, GM seems to be in no hurry to launch a new model until 2017. The first product to hit the market then could be the Adra concept-based crossover to take on the Ford EcoSport, and the second product, a sub-four metre sedan to take on the entry-level sedan segment. This year the company may launch the facelifted Beat, followed by the Cruze in 2015 which will be introduced in the Chinese market first. The company might also update the Sail hatchback and the Sail sedan. The changes might be minimal and inspired by the Enjoy MUV which got a few updates earlier this year.

It will also be a litmus test for Arvind Saxena as General Motors has a retirement age of 60, it leaves him with just three years to turnaround the company’s fortunes. This also means the Adra concept and the new sub-four metre sedan will be launched close to or after Saxena’s tenure. It is a challenging situation now and it will be interesting to see how 2014 turns out to be for GM. 

Source: NDTV