Expanding its its lineup in the small car segment in the country, General Motors, India, yesterday launched a limited-production version of its popular small car the Spark, equipped with a new music system and a six-CD changer.

The Chevrolet Spark special edition, callled Spark Muzic, is priced at Rs3.27 lakh (ex-showroom).

Present on the occasion was Jonathan Browning, GM vice president of global sales, service and marketing.

General Motors says it expects India to emerge as one of the top five markets globally for its brand Chevrolet in the next five years and regards the rapidly expanding Indian auto market as a priority area.

Accordingly, the company says it will continue to introduce variants of the Spark that target different groups of customers to enable it to achieve its goal of becoming a market leader in India by giving its customers the vehicles that they want when they want them.

The auti market had been flat with a moderate decline in sales (See: Most auto companies see heavy fall in sales), Chevrolet managed to boost its sales by 10 per cent in 2008.

The Muzic has a 2,345-mm wheelbase, and offers a comparatively large amount of space with a feeling of roominess. The five seater comes with a generous assortment of standard convenience features and smart storage spaces. Among the additional features are an entertainment system, sporty seat fabric and remote keyless entry.

Like the original Spark, the special edition hatchback is powered by an economical yet powerful S-Tec engine that delivers 63 ps@5,400 rpm and peak torque of 90.3 Nm@ 4.200 rpm.

With power and torque maximised at lower speeds, the Spark makes for ideal driving in city traffic as well as on open highways. Its reduced curb weight and aerodynamic styling adds to the Spark's fuel-efficiency, which the company says is the best for any vehicle in the market.

The Special edition is designed to extend passengers the same level of safety that the Spark offers. Fifty one per cent of its total weight is packed in the high-strength steel of the Spark's body cell, providing great rigidity and stability while lowering the weight by 10kg.

The precisely defined load paths with an energy absorbing hexagonal profile provide optimal protection against impact in the event of a head-on or rear-end collision.

Side impact protection is provided by links between the B-pillar and sills. For enhanced protection, the B-pillar comprises three plates of different thickness. In the event of a side impact, the B-pillar moves like a pendulum and does not fold or protrude into the passenger compartment.

The Chevrolet Spark Muzic comes with three-year / 100,000-km standard warranty. Additionally, the consumer can avail of a unique add-on service maintenance package, which frees the customer from maintenance-related costs for three years or 45,000 km.

The Chevrolet Spark has been consistently recognised for its quality attributes having won the prestigious JD Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) Award for two years in a row in 2007 and 2008. It has also been awarded the special 'Best Value Car for Award' from BS Motoring magazine.
Karl Slym, president and managing director, GM India, said the automaker has fixed a sourcing target of $1 billion by 2010 from India.

General Motors India, incorporated in 1994 as a 50:50 joint venture company with the C K Birla Group of Companies, became a fully-owned subsidiary of GM in 1999 when GMOC bought out the Birla stake.

The company was restructured in 1999 and was converted from a public limited company to a private limited company and General Motors India is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation. It offers products under the Chevrolet brand in the country.