Carmakers are phasing out old models and introducing a slew of products to
beat the slowdown and woo buyers, who are getting more selective.
Leading firms such as General Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, Hyundai and Ford are coming up with improved variants to create some excitement in the market and discarding models which are not doing well.
General Motors is weeding out Aveo and Optra and planning to roll out three models to replace them. The company brought out a diesel variant of its
premium sedan Cruze priced between Rs 13.85 and Rs 15.67 lakh. The model is equipped with a more refined engine and better fuel efficiency.
"We will launch the Sail in both hatchback and sedan versions in the next few months. This will replace the Aveo U-VA hatchback and Aveo sedan. Besides, we will also launch multi-purpose utility vehicle 'Enjoy' by the end of this year," Lowell C. Paddock, president and managing director, General Motors India, said.
Chevrolet has unveiled a revised version of their sport utility vehicle (SUV) Captiva in India with a 2.2-litre engine producing 186.5PS of power. The firm is planning to roll out three more models by the end of this year. The slowdown in the market is not deterring auto companies from launching models. "A company cannot defer product launches because the market is slow. If a company is looking at a long-term target, it has to create excitement by constantly improving its product lines. In fact, during the slump, launches create excitement and help the company boost its volumes," Neeraj Garg, director, Volkswagen Group Sales India, told Mail Today.
Last week, Volkswagen launched the petrol version of Jetta and is mulling to launch a version of SUV Touareg. According to sources, Volkswagen has also lined up its entrylevel hatchback, the Up. However, the firm did not confirm the news saying it "does not comment on upcoming models".
Auto companies have lined up almost a dozen models for launch by year-end. Maruti Suzuki is planning to launch a small car which will replace its iconic Maruti 800. Besides, it plans to roll out a version of Ritz. Arch-rival Hyundai will introduce a version of Elantra this year while Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) is slated to launch Mini Xylo and compact version of its sedan Verito. Renault is planning to launch its much -awaited SUV Duster.
Courtesy: Mail Today
President, GM India, Lowell Paddock (second left), V-P Sunil Sawhney and V-P (corporate affairs) P. Balendran (right) at the launch of Chevrolet Cruze in New Delhi on Wednesday. 
Special 
