General Motors’ design and technology centre in Bangalore has played a central role in a range of cars being launched by the company in India, starting next month.
New local GM president and managing director, Lowell Paddock, said the design centre was involved in the development of the redesigned Tavera [an MUV or multi-use vehicle designed specifically for India].
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Paddock spoke to reporters as he opened a new annex at the centre which has the capability for milling full-scale or life size clay models, painting and fabrication to support global and local programmes.
While the new Tavera is expected to be launched in mid-March, the Sail passenger car will be unveiled sometime in July. A new MPV will also be launched towards the end of the year.
Paddock also said the recently developed electric car for India market was ready for launch but would be held back until an appropriate recharging infrastructure was developed.
He called on the government to announce an auto fuel policy instead of taking short term measures like the proposal to put an additional levy on diesel cars. It was also important to include provisions in the next budget for bringing down interest rates as about 80% of the passenger cars sold in India are financed.
He said: “This is not the time to impose a tax on diesel vehicles, given the sluggish growth of the auto industry in the last year.”
Given the industry’s “wider connection” with manufacturing, he warned that this could have a wider impact on industrial output.
Paddock said GM was prepared to meet any eventuality arising from a fresh levy on diesel cars in the forthcoming union budget. The company’s Talegaon powertrain factory in Maharashtra, which can produce diesel and petrol engines simultaneously, gave the company greater “flexibility” to cope with changes in demand, he added.
