After a six-week tussle, the strike at General Motors India's Halol factory, 35 km from Vadodara, has finally been called off, with the workers and management reaching an understanding.
The company has been struggling to keep its sales momentum in the domestic market due to a slump in demand.
GM India at present, has two small cars in its portfolio -- the Chevrolet Spark and the Chevrolet Beat, which were launched on Monday.
Workers resorted to strike at the Halol facility in Gujarat that has an installed capacity of 85,000 units a year.
Carmakers usually come up with such year-end announcements.
The company, which plans to launch three light commercial vehicles from the stable of its Chinese partner Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation during the same time period, also said it has lined up to introduce 14 new variants of its existing car models.
The car will be available in petrol (priced between Rs 444,000 and Rs 558,000) and in diesel, too, (priced between Rs 587,000 and Rs 662,000).
The Beat LPG has been priced at between Rs 4.10 lakh (Rs 410,000) and Rs 4.53 lakh (Rs 453,000) -- ex-showroom Mumbai.
'Selling could further intensify and take the index towards 22,800-22,750 in the near-term.'
General Motors India on Wednesday said it was looking at phasing out some of its old models such as the Aveo and the Optra and replace these with new ones.
Maruti Suzuki is offering cash discounts ranging from Rs 5,000 on its hatchback Celerio to Rs 35,000 on entry level Alto800.
Always wondered what hiring managers wished you knew? Vikas Shirodkar, vice- president, Human Resource Development, General Motors, India, spells out the six qualities he always looks for in prospective candidates.
Company officials have maintained that the closure is a routine exercise and is not a fallout of the ongoing global meltdown. "There will be no production at the company's Halol unit for about two weeks," said P Balendran, vice-president, GM India. The company has shut production from December 13 to December 30.
Talks between the management and workers on strike have so far failed to yield any result and even the threat to terminate jobs have not made the nearly 200 agitating employees return to duty.
Everyone could do with that little extra cash but how do you sell the idea to your boss that you deserve it. Vikas Shirodkar, Vice-president, Human Resource Development, General Motors, India lists out these dos and don'ts to follow.
India will display its military prowess and cultural heritage at the 76th Republic Day celebrations on Kartavya Path in New Delhi. The parade will feature 16 tableaux from states and Union Territories, 15 from central ministries, and a tri-services tableau showcasing the spirit of "jointness" among the armed forces. The event will also include a flypast featuring 40 IAF aircraft and three Indian Coast Guard Dornier aircraft, as well as a display of cutting-edge defense platforms including BrahMos, Pinaka and Akash.
Honda Cars India is recalling a total of 1,338 units of its premium sedan Accord and sports utility vehicle CR-V manufactured between 2002 and 2003 to replace a faulty part in the passenger side airbags. The recall, which is part of Honda's global recall regarding the potential defect related to passenger air bag announced in June 2014, would cover 1,085 units of Accord and 253 units of CR-V.
The new financial year started on a mixed note for car makers.
A government-instituted panel which probed the extent of non-compliance by General Motors in re-fitting pre-approved engines on Tavera models sent for inspection to meet specified emission norms, submitted its report late on Monday evening, holding the company responsible for corporate fraud.
In a chat with Sohini Das, GM India president and managing director Karl Slym says, with the launch of the new compact car, Beat, and a positive response to the Cruze, GM plans to cross the 100,000-unit mark this year in sales.
With less than a month to go for the two mega television shows - Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hai of Star Plus and the BCCI-promoted Indian Premier League on Sony - companies have lined up in right earnest for sponsorship deals with the broadcasters. Star Plus has signed on a string of advertisers for the Shah Rukh Khan-anchored show. These include confectionery brand Halls, Pidilite Industries, Havells India, L'Oreal India, Tata Sky, Parle Products etc
The company's Indian subsidiary General Motors India has already announced a total of $500 million investments in the country to set up new car and power-train manufacturing facilities and it will be hiring 500 people in the second-half of next year. The company, which employs a total of 1,600 people in its engineering and research and development centre at Bangalore, will be enhancing the manpower strength there.
The LPG model was launched a fortnight ago. Chevrolet is now hoping to rev up the car's sales with a diesel option in June.
GM India presently sources engines for its products from its other global plants. Apart from multi-utility vehicle Tavera, which is 97 per cent localised, the company's other products run on sourced engines. The company is in talks with more than one state governments to set up the proposed plant, but has not zeroed down on one particular location as yet.
India is a market for low-priced cars with low running costs. The global majors don't have models that fit the bill; only Maruti and Hyundai have successful entry-level models, observes T N Ninan.
General Motors India on Tuesday sought incentives for owners of cars driven on alternative fuel and tax rate cuts to encourage adoption of such eco-friendly vehicles.
General Motors India on Wednesday said it would hike the prices of its multi-utility vehicle Chevrolet Tavera ranging from Rs 4,800 to Rs 8,700 across all variants from December 24.
Fundraising by Indian corporates through equity and debt reached all-time high in the calendar year 2024, according to primedatabase.com. The overall public equity fundraising stood at Rs 3.7 trillion in 2024, a rise of 159 per cent from Rs 1.4 trillion in 2023. If Rights Issues of Rs 25,973 crore were to be added, the overall equity fundraising would touch nearly Rs 4 trillion in 2024.
The Cruze is built on a new platform and includes a next-generation power train.
Floods in Gujarat caused a Rs 30 crore (Rs 300 million) loss to General Motors India and the company said it expected sales performance to be hit, for the second consecutive month, in July.\n\n
'Private General insurers are poised to grow at 17 per cent - 18 per cent over the next 5 to 7 years and we will grow faster.'
General Motors India (GMI) on Monday launched a variant of its sports utility vehicle 'Chevrolet Forester' to tap the growing SUV market in India.
The sales comprise 1,504 units of hatchback Chevrolet Spark, 1,550 units of multi-utility vehicle Tavera, 1,227 units of Aveo/Aveo U-VA and 498 units of sedan Optra, it said.
Some cars that are emblematic of India's automobile industry will no longer come off the assembly lines after this year.
The $100-billion SAIC would have a dedicated manufacturing facility in India, and would be the first Chinese automaker to do so.
Positioned in the same category as Octavia, the Optra diesel version is competitively priced in the range of Rs 8.73 lakh and Rs 9.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the latter is being sold in the range of Rs 11.35 lakh to Rs 14 lakh.
