GM to start exporting Chevy Beat to Chile early next year

General Motors India today said it would begin exporting vehicles from the country, starting with exports of a left-hand-drive version of its popular Chevrolet Beat hatchback to Chile in the first quarter of 2015.

The company said it would begin production of the cars meant for export at its Talegaon plant in Maharashtra in the second half of this year, with sales commencing in Chile in the first quarter of 2015, GM India said in a statement.

General Motors has two factories in India that can build a combined 282,000 vehicles annually, but it has been utilising less than a third of their total capacity.

GM sold nearly 81,000 passenger vehicles in India in the fiscal year ended in March for a market share of 3.2 per cent, according to data from the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.

Global automakers, including Ford Motor Co, are keen on making India a regional export hub, especially for small cars, taking advantage of it as a low-cost manufacturing base.

Commenting on the move, GM India president and managing director Arvind Saxena said, "The start of Beat exports underlines GM's commitment to India and demonstrates the quality of the country's growing supplier base."

He further said, "The exports will create more employment opportunities within GM India and the supplier community while helping improve capacity utilisation at the Talegaon Plant."

The company has been struggling to keep its sales momentum in the domestic market due to a slump in demand. In April the company's sales declined 35.30 per cent to at 5,302 units as against 8,196 units sold in the corresponding month of previous year.

The compact car Beat is already built and sold in many markets around the world. It is available with petrol and diesel engines. The model was launched in India in 2010.