General Motors launches Tavera
By Our Corporate Bureau | 21 May 2004
The MUV is available in six variants, which are priced in the range of Rs5.44 lakh to Rs8.44 lakh starting from the base to the top end variant. The basic model comes without power steering and air conditioning.
The Tavera is powered by a 2.5-litre diesel engine, sourced from HM's Pithampur plant, with a local content of 85 per cent (expected to go up to 93 per cent) when the company increases capacity at its plant.
Based on the 10-seater Isuzu Panther, Tavera is expected to give the Toyota Qualis (priced from Rs5.03 to Rs6.3-lakh price range), and the Mahindra Scorpio (priced from Rs6.29 to Rs7.14 lakh) some tough competition as according to the company, the vehicle can serve the dual purpose of a tour vehicle like Qualis and a personal car like Scorpio.
The company expects to sell 10,000 units of the Tavera in the first year of sales and delivery is expected to begin in June. In 2003-04 94,000 MUVs were sold in India and the segment is growing at a 20 per cent growth rate.
Initially, the company is not looking at selling the Tavera in large numbers; the company expects to roll out 1,500 units of the Tavera by September this year and 2,500 units by next year. The company has spent 30 months and Rs500 crore on the Tavera project.
Meanwhile, according to D Nick Reilly, president and CEO, GMDAT, the company's top priority in India is the small car based on the earlier Daewoo Matiz which is to be launched as Chevrolet Spark by GMI.
Reilly said the company's Daewoo India plant would offer further opportunity in terms of adding to capacity. He said that at present Daewoo's Surajpur plant had an annual capacity of 120,000 units, more than what the company expects to sell in the small car segment.
As an introductory offer, the company is offering a warranty offer on the engine for five years or 150,000 km to its consumers.