GM in India has commenced shipments of the sedan version of its Chevrolet Beat to Latin America markets.
GM recently decided to stop selling vehicles in India by the end of this year, so the plant needs to find export opportunities.
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A consignment of 1,200 Chevrolet Beat sedans is headed to Latin America, following the start of production in June, GM said in a statement.
Earlier this year, GM India began exporting Chevrolet Beat hatchback to Latin American markets. The company will focus its GM India manufacturing operations on producing vehicles for export only.
GM India Vice-President Manufacturing Asif Khatri said the Talegaon facility is a key export manufacturing hub for GM.
GM also said that nearly 400 employees have accepted the voluntary separation scheme offered as part of its winding down of domestic operations in Talegaon.
The Beat in India is assembled from CKD kits supplied by GM Korea.
GM Executive Vice President and President, GM International, Stefan Jacoby said in May that the company is running its GM International markets with an enterprise approach and making decisions that are best for the global business.
"In India, our exports have tripled over the past year, and this will remain our focus going forward," he said. "We determined that the increased investment required for an extensive and flexible product portfolio would not deliver a leadership position or long-term profitability in the domestic market."
Kaher Kazem, GM India president and managing director, said the focus for the GM India manufacturing base at Talegaon will be export markets, upcoming export vehicle launches and exploring longer-term strategic options.
