Chevrolet announces $1 Billion investment in India

There is no denying the kind of potential the Indian market holds in the automotive scene. And that is exactly why we’ve had manufacturers investing more time, energies and money into developing products especially for the Indian market. In a recent announcement Chevrolet declared an investment of $5 billion in global growth markets of which the American car-maker intends to invest $1 billion in its Indian operations. The announcement was made in Delhi during GM CEO Mary Barra’s second visit to the country in 12 months.

Mary Barra, GM Executive Vice President said, “We are delivering on our promise and doubling our investment in India. This will allow us to provide our Indian customers the great vehicles they want and the world-class customer experience they deserve. It will also support the government’s Make in India program.”

A majority of this investment will be spent in strengthening its Talegaon facility by enabling it localize, industrialize and optimize its footprint to accommodate additional products for the domestic and export markets. The Talegaon facility currently has a production capacity of 1,30,000 units which Chevrolet wants to gradually increase to 2,20,000 units by 2025. As part of this investment, GM will not only expand its dealer network but will also create approximately 12,000 jobs across the country. This investment also comes with the idea of consolidating its manufacturing facility to a single location in Talegaon. The company will cease production at its Halol facility in Gujarat by mid-2016.

Moreover, Chevrolet also announced its intention of rolling out 10 new locally made products in the next five years. These products will include the Trailblazer SUV that is schedule to be launched later this year and their entry in the competitive MPV space with the Spin in early 2017.