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GM working on marketing plan for India

K. Giriprakash Seoul , April 7 GENERAL Motors (GM) has ranked India as the third most important emerging market among eight countries while South Korea, where it already has a joint venture, is ranked fifth. The first two countries in the `emerging markets' list are China and the US. Mr Nick Reilly, GM-Daewoo Auto & Technology Ltd (GMDAT) President and CEO, told a group of visiting journalists that GM was working on a major strategy for India. This which will enable it to enter the booming small car market. "The marketing strategy has not been finalised yet. "But we would like to be in the small car segment," Mr Reilly said. He added that the experience in South Korea where GM took over the Daewoo plant should help the company to fine-tune its strategy as and when it takes over the Daewoo plant in India. GM is currently carrying out the due diligence of the Daewoo plant near New Delhi. This is expected to be over in another two months. Analysts said that while the acquisition in South Korea enabled GM to penetrate into that country's closed market and acted as a springboard to China, the acquisition of the Indian plant will enable it to access the booming small car market. GM entered the race to acquire Daewoo after Ford Motor Company abruptly withdrew from negotiations. The company reportedly paid around $ 400 million to acquire the stake in Daewoo along with Suzuki and Shanghai Auto Industry Corporation. GM has 42 per cent stake in the company. Suzuki has 15 per cent stake, Shanghai Auto Industry Corp has 10 per cent and Daewoo creditors 33 per cent. Mr Reilly said that after it took over operations in October 2002, the company's market share in South Korea has increased to 9.7 per cent.

But the company competes in only 38 per cent of the market in which its share is around 25 per cent. It has, however, received strong exports orders that posted a growth of around 98 per cent. GM exported its sedan, Lacetti, as Optra to India as and Buick Excelle in China. The Lacetti is GM Daewoo's first global car and has been rolled out in over 100 markets. The company recently announced that it plans to invest around $1.5 billion in two new powertrain and a diesel engine facility, two new vehicles, an upgraded product and one new generation of small cars. Mr Reilly said that GMDAT was developing a sports utility vehicle and a large car that would enable the company to fill the gap in its portfolio. Though it has been tough to restore the image of Daewoo, the company has been successful to a large extent, according to him. GM Daewoo has added nearly 3,000 employees since its launch including 700 former employees who had been laid off by the old Daewoo Motor. Over the next three years, GMDAT plans to invest around $1 billion in research and development. It recently added a new design centre to create the next generation of GM Daewoo vehicles. Mr Alan Batey, GM Daewoo's Vice-President for Commercial Operations, said that though Hyundai is the leading car maker in South Korea, GMDAT wants to be the new source of innovative high-value product for GM's worldwide operations. Mr Steve Clarke, GM Daewoo's Managing Director for Product Engineering, said that the J200 platform - on which Optra, Lacetti and Nubira have been built - was first introduced in the domestic market and later exported to other countries.

NEW DELHI, 27 JAN: Admitting mistakes in its Indian strategy over the past decade, US auto major General Motors today said it would focus on developing products that are tailored for the local market to drive a profitable and sustainable growth here. The company, which launched its locally-developed engines to be utilised for the Indian market today, also said as it was executing a 'course correction', it expected to have a significant marketshare here, as it does in other emerging markets like Brazil, China and Russia. General Motors in India has made mistakes in the past. We have been inconsistent in our product portfolio plans, we have been inconsistent in our resource allocations, General Motors international operations president Mr Tim Lee said. Over the last decade, the performance of the company in India has been spotty, he added. That time is over. We are focused now in understanding each market segment, what does the customer need, what does the customer want. Our plan is to upgrade our portfolio to meet those demands, Mr Lee said. Compared with other emerging markets ~ Brazil, (where it has 20 per cent marketshare in passenger vehicles segment, China (13 per cent) and Russia (nine per cent), he said India had had the least resource allocation by GM in the last decade. If we change that precondition, you could expect that we would like to see better business results (in India), Mr Lee said. He, however, declined to forecast a target that the company would like to achieve in India. The firm, which has been operational for 14 years in the country, currently has four per cent share of the passenger vehicle market that stood at around 2.3 million units in 2010. Mr Lee, however, ruled out any short-term measures to fast-track growth in India. (Our) target revolves around profitability and sustainability so that we can fund further investment and development in India...We don't want to go out and borrow money from different places to fund the growth, he said. Commenting on the new 1.2-litre petrol engine that has been developed to suit the Indian conditions, he said it would be used for the compact car 'Beat' here, although it could be exported to other similar emerging markets in future. GM India president and managing director Mr Karl Slym said a diesel version of the engine would be launched in the second quarter of this year. Both the petrol and diesel engines will be produced at its Talegaon plant. Last year, the company inaugurated the plant that has been set up at an investment of $230 million with an initial capacity of 1.6 lakh power-trains, which can be scaled up to three lakh units.

The India arm of US auto maker General Motors, or GM, is in the midst of a DNA change. The metamorphosis is an offspring of the 50 per cent stake Chinese auto giant Shanghai Automotive Industries Corporation, or SAIC, bought in the company in February 2010 for $650 million, or Rs 2,990 crore. The new GM India plans an audacious assault on the Indian market with no less than five Chinese cars in six months, starting January next year. "By combining the outstanding resources of GM with those of our partners in China, we can respond faster to the evolving domestic market than ever before," says Karl Slym, President and Managing Director of GM India. "It will help us emerge as a volume player in this market in the shortest time." The five launches will include a light commercial vehicle, or LCV. Slym's hopes are built on the success of the partnerships GM has forged in China, a performance that is in stark contrast to its India story. GM entered the two markets at about the same time in the mid-1990s. Over the years, the company has established itself as the Number Two auto maker in China with seven per cent market share; only German giant Volkswagen is ahead with 12 per cent. Thanks to its prescience in estimating the potential of emerging markets, 43 per cent of GM's sales today comes from the BRIC nations - Brazil, Russia, India and China - with China topping the list. In fact, so vital has China become to GM that the company held its last board meeting in the Middle Kingdom in September this year, the first outside the US. MUST READ: Can Karl Slym save GM India? Chinese onslaught

SAIC holds 50 per cent share in GM India The JV will introduce fi ve vehicles in India next year; four will be unveiled at the January 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi The cars will have Chinese design and core architecture; engines will be from GM The cars will give GM a portfolio of 12 passenger vehicles (not counting variants) in India, and one light commercial vehicle In comparison, Maruti Suzuki has 11 passenger vehicles, Hyundai has nine, Tata Motors fi ve, and Ford

India, four The five vehicles will allow GM India to better utilise its installed capacity of 470,000 cars per year. In 2010/11, it produced a mere 108,529 cars All cars will be branded Chevrolet and will not have any Chinese messaging

In the same period, GM's performance in India has been lacklustre. It came with the Opel line, which had to be discontinued after a few years and Chevrolet was brought in. The focus on sedans in the initial years - there was also a station wagon - meant that GM had to be content with low volumes until it tapped the burgeoning small car market with Spark in 2007 (see Market Share). So weak was GM's image and brand recognition in India that Slym says: "People did not know whether we were General Motors or General Electric."

While Slym's sharp focus on the Chevrolet brand has addressed the brand recognition challenge, the launch of two small cars, Spark in 2007 and Beat in 2010, perked up the sales numbers. But not to the extent GM would have hoped for. For instance, Spark, GM's competing product against Alto India's highest-selling car from Maruti Suzuki - sells around 3,500 units a month compared to Alto's 25,000. As for Beat, Slym hopes the recent introduction of a diesel variant - diesel cost being subsidised, diesel cars are hugely popular- will help it compete better with the likes of Ford's Figo, which sells around 6,000 units a month. So far, Beat's sales numbers have been similar to Spark's. In terms of financials, too, GM has struggled to be profitable in India (see Bottom Line Troubles). In this situation, GM needed a booster shot to get a grip on one of the world's fastest-growing auto markets - even if, admittedly, this year has been a blip. And how better to do so than to try and replicate the China success in India? Analysts say the partnership is a smart move. "Chinese cars may not be very high on quality, but they will be able to price the product competitively," says Ammar Master, Manager, J.D. Power Asia Pacific, referring to the LCV GM plans to bring in. Delhi-based auto analyst Tutu Dhawan calls it an intelligent move. "GM can now leverage the Chinese advantages," he says. In the process, GM's Indian operations are being infused with a dose of Chinese products and processes.

Chinese checkers At the core of GM India's intricate game of Chinese Checkers is Slym, the 49-year-old Briton with a passion for cars and cricket. Slym jokes that while he shares his accent with the former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott, he was a more aggressive batsman in his time. (Boycott was known for his dour batting style.) Slym's aggression is evident in the way GM's strategy has unfolded in India since he came in, with small cars becoming the company's focus area, multiple fuel variants being introduced, including CNG, LPG, diesel and hybrids of these, and with a three-year free service offer forming the bedrock of GM's marketing strategy. We will grow double the market rate once we come out with our full range: Karl Slym

Now, the man who joined GM in 1997 from Toyota, and who has been crucial to its growth in countries such as Japan, is attempting to take GM India the China way. Once every quarter, Slym visits Shanghai to check on the progress. In fact, even as this issue is being put to bed, Slym is in Shanghai, fixing the nuts and bolts of the partnership. "We will grow double the market rate once we come out with our full range," he says. INTERVIEW: General Motors India MD Karl Slym on the carmaker's growth Over the past 18 months, there has been intense collaboration between GM and SAIC. The latter is providing the core design and engineering of the five vehicles, because the joint venture, or JV, partners feel the designs of certain cars in China are suitable for India. In the first round, GM's Indian engineers travelled to Shanghai to acquire an understanding of the design of the cars. Slym explains that core design changes, such as altering left hand drive to right, are being done in China. The cars are undergoing other changes to suit Indian conditions, such as increasing the ground clearance. They are all fitted only with petrol engines in China. Since diesel is a big draw here, GM is bringing diesel expertise into these cars. Its engineering and development centres are based in Talegaon, Maharashtra, and Bangalore. The Talegaon engineering centre is a JV with SAIC, while the Bangalore research and development centre is GM's own and reports directly to Slym. But since the Talegaon centre is small, much of the work on the SAIC vehicles is being done at the Bangalore centre and in China. Most components and parts are being localised to keep down imports from China and elsewhere. GM India will have SAIC experts on the new assembly line as well. "We need them for specific skill sets, like for commercial vehicles," says Slym. GM's association with SAIC has also helped it reduce cost of manufacturing, "particularly with the new products", says Slym. "We have put in new equipment, facilities." He also agrees that this will have a cascading effect on the rest of GM India's manufacturing. The company remains sensitive to the fact that it will have to tackle perception issues about Chinese products. Most Chinese companies in India, including Haier in consumer durables and Huawei in telecom equipment, face a similar challenge. The only Chinese car in India, the Rio compact SUV sold by Premier Automobiles, sells on average 200 units a month. To counter this negative image, GM is being careful to ensure these vehicles are not seen as Chinese vehicles.

"These are not Chinese cars," asserts Slym. "We are bringing in five vehicles which are Chevrolet's - built here, engineered here, but designed by our Chinese partners." Accordingly, all the cars will sport the well-known Chevrolet logo, and the marketing drive is unlikely to have any message that alludes to China. Segments and pricing Much depends on the segments the cars drive into, and their pricing. Predictably, Slym is tightlipped, though he emphatically rebuts all speculation of an entry-level small car from SAIC to take on Alto, saying Spark will remain GM's entry-level car in India. "Traditionally there has been growth in the small car segment, but entry-level sedans, multi-purpose vehicles and entryto-middle-level SUVs are also fast growing segments," says Kapil Arora, Partner, Automotive Practice, Ernst & Young. "That is what I think this JV is targeting." The one segment in which GM does not have any presence in India is the super compact, or entry-level sedan segment, where the likes of Maruti's Dzire, Toyota's Etios and even Mahindra & Mahindra's Verito - the relaunched Logan - are selling well. The segment is growing at 51 per cent, at a time when the overall market is clocking barely two per cent growth. Slym simply smiles upon being asked if this segment will see an SAIC car. One possible candidate in this segment is the Chevrolet Sail, which is available in two body types - a hatchback and a sedan. Bringing it in would allow GM to not just have another hatchback, but also a cousin entry-level sedan, to emulate the strategy of Maruti, which has Swift and Dzire; Toyota, with Liva and Etios; Volkswagen, with Polo and Vento, and Tata Motors with Indica and Indigo. Analysts, too, believe the twin Sails are likely to, um, sail into India, but Slym stays mum. Taking forward GM's multiplefuel strategy, the new cars will sport fuels in 14 different variations, including hybrids, but there will not be any electric car. Through this partnership, GM will also enter the commercial vehicle segment for the first time in India, with the launch of an LCV, possibly in the category of Tata Ace, a small subone-tonne truck which has been hugely successful. "We haven't seen any decline in that segment," says Slym. E&Y's Arora agrees. "In the commercial vehicle segment there is room for sub-one-tonne vehicles and MUVs," he says. "But in all categories competition will be intense." Naturally, GM will not have an open field. In the hatchback segment, which accounts for more than 75 per cent of car sales, competition is cut-throat. Honda recently launched Brio to take on the likes of Swift. "This market is getting more and more new products, but at the same time the market (size) is increasing," says Jnaneswar Sen, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Honda Siel Cars. Toyota earlier launched Liva in the same segment to encouraging response

from customers. Volkswagen's Polo and Nissan's Micra are already in the fray, and Ford's Figo has done very well, too. Besides, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Tata Motors are gorillas here. Other segments such as sedans, SUVs and MUVs are also seeing increasing competition. At the same time, transplanting a successful formula from one market into another does not always mean sure success. M&M, for instance, believes that transplanting a model into another geography is not the best idea. "I don't think a transplant will be successful; it always has problems," says B. Bhaumik, Senior Vice President and Head, Product Development, M&M, though not necessarily alluding to GM's strategy. M&M burnt its fingers with Logan, a smash hit in Europe. Interestingly, though GM India has a manufacturing capacity of 470,000 cars every year, it produced a mere 108,529 cars in 2010/11. Hyundai has 300,000 units - 50 per cent of its capacity - earmarked for India, and the remaining for exports. Theoretically, if GM is able to utilise its production capacity far more than it does now, it could put up a strong challenge to the market leaders. But the big question now is, even as GM India's Chinese association brings about changes in its manufacturing practices and product portfolio, can it also propel the company into the big league? That is another story.

General Motors India Private Limited

Joint venture Automotive 1995 Halol (Registered Office) Headquarters Gurgaon (Marketing Office) Mr. Lowell Padlock, President and Key people MD Automobiles Products 4,000 Employees General Motors, SAIC Parent Opel India Private Limited Chevrolet Sales India Private Subsidiaries Limited Type Industry Founded Website www.gm.co.in

General Motors India Private Limited is a partnership between General Motors and SAIC that is engaged in the automobile business in India. General Motors has 97% stake in this partnership and the remaining 7% is held by SAIC[1]. It is the 5th largest automobile manufacturing company in India after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra.General Motors India started its journey in 1996 in India and has completed 16 years of operation in India.[2]

Contents

1 History 2 Manufacturing Facilities 3 Vehicle sales, service and marketing business 4 Models o 4.1 Chevrolet 4.1.1 Current 4.1.2 Discontinued o 4.2 Opel 4.2.1 Current 4.2.2 Discontinued 5 See also 6 External links 7 References

History
(General Motors began doing business in India in 1928, assembling Chevrolet cars, trucks and buses, but ceased its assembly operations in 1954. GM continued with tie-ups with Hindustan Motors to build Bedford trucks, Vauxhall cars, Allison Transmissions and off-road equipment. In 1994 GMIPL was formed as a joint venture, owned 50 percent by Hindustan Motors and 50 percent by General Motors, to produce and sell Opel branded vehicles. GM bought out the Hindustan Motors interest in 1999.[3][4] GMIPL continued to produce Opel cars at the Halol facility until 2003, when it started production of Chevrolet vehicles at that location. In 2000, GMIPL moved its headquarters to Gurgaon. In 2003, the company opened its technical center operations in Bangalore, which included research and development and vehicle engineering activities. The technical center operations were expanded to include purchasing and financial support services for General Motors operations located outside of India (2006), vehicle engine and transmission design and engineering (2007) and a vehicle design studio (2007). GMIPL began construction of a second vehicle assembly plant in Talegaon in 2006, which began production of Chevrolet vehicles in September 2008.

In late 2009, General Motors announced that it would put its India operation into a 50-50 venture with Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation of China, which is the partner of GM's main venture in China.[5] In October 2012, General Motors announced that it has increased stake in its Indian subsidiary to 93% by buying 43% from its Chinese partner SAIC for an undisclosed sum[6].

Manufacturing Facilities
GMIPL operates vehicle manufacturing plants in Halol, Gujarat and Talegaon Dabhade, Maharastra, It maintains headquarters in Halol and Gurgaon and a large technical center in Bangalore. Its Halol and Talegaon Dabhade Manufacturing Plants have a combined Production Capacity of 385,000 vehicles annually.[7]

Vehicle sales, service and marketing business


Like most other automotive companies in India, GMIPL appoints independently owned dealers to sell, service and market vehicles that it produces. As of August 2008, managed the Chevrolet dealership network (including export dealers located in Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan) from its headquarters in Gurgaon, and regional zone offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. GMIPL currently has 203 dealerships in 178 cities across India which will be increased to 250 by 2009. GMIPL also sells parts and services to independent vehicle maintenance providers under the AC Delco brand. GM India's sales declined to 6079 units in May 2012, while the figure last year same month was 8329 units.[8]

Models
Chevrolet
Main article: Chevrolet Sales India Private Limited Current 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Chevrolet Optra (Launched 2003) Chevrolet Tavera (Launched 2004) Chevrolet Aveo (Launched 2006) Chevrolet Aveo U-VA (Launched 2006) Chevrolet Spark (Launched 2007) Chevrolet Captiva (Launched 2008) Chevrolet Cruze (Launched 2009) Chevrolet Beat (Launched 2010)

Discontinued

1. Chevrolet Forester (2003-200?) 2. Chevrolet Optra SRV (2006-200?)

Opel
Main article: Opel India Private Limited Current 1. None Discontinued 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Opel Astra (19962006) Opel Corsa (20002006) Opel Vectra (20032006) Opel Corsa Swing (20032006) Opel Corsa Sail (20032006)

General Motors India

TopCorporate Profile

General Motors was founded in 1908 in Flint, Michigan by William C. Durant. The company has its global headquarters in Detroit and employs approximately 209,000 people all over the world. It does business in 120 countries and, together with its strategic partners, produces cars and trucks in 31 countries. GMs highest sales are reported from China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Russia.
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Contents

- Corporate Profile - Company History - Company Founder(s) - Company Milestones - Vision & Values - Management Team - Manufacturing Facilities - Technology - Awards & Recognition - International Operations - Exports - Future Plans - Contact Details

The company includes a total of 13 brands - Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, FAW, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling under its umbrella. Over the past few years, GM has suffered several setbacks, including the declaration of bankruptcy in June 2009 and an eventual split. A New GM emerged in 2009 with the support of the US government. The new company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in

November 2010. As part of the reorganization, the company phased out two of its brands Pontiac and Goodwrench - and adopted a new brand identity. It also received loans from European governments in 2009, and reduced its stake in European operations. Operations in other parts of the world were not affected by the bankruptcy and continued as before.

General Motors in India


General Motors India has its headquarters in Gurgaon, Haryana, and has two assembly plants (in Talagaon, Maharashtra and Halol, Gujarat) with a combined production capacity of 385,000 vehicles per year. It also has a technical centre in Bangalore which focuses on research and development, vehicle engineering activities, purchasing and financial support services, and vehicle engine and transmission design. The company first started doing business in India in 1928, assembling Chevrolet cars, trucks and buses, but ceased operations in the country in 1954. It continued its tie-up with Hindustan Motors to build Bedford trucks, Vauxhall cars, Allison Transmissions and off-road equipment. In 1994, General Motors India Private Limited (GMIPL) was formed as a 50-50 joint venture between GM and Hindustan Motors. GMIPL started out producing and selling Opel vehicles, and was bought over completely by GM in 1999. Till 2003, the company continued to produce Opel cars at its Halol facility. Later, it switched to producing Chevrolet vehicles at the same plant.

Joint Venture with SAIC


In December 2009, Chinese auto company Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) bought a 50 percent stake in GM India. The new joint venture company is called General Motors SAIC Investment Limited (GMSIL) and is the 5th largest automobile manufacturing company in the country after Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Tata Motors and Mahindra.

TopCompany History
General Motors was founded by William Crapo Durant in Flint, Michigan, on September 16, 1908. Durant was a native of Boston, Massachusetts, and produced horse-drawn vehicles for more than 15 years before entering the motorcar manufacturing business. In its initial few years, GM acquired over 20 companies, the first of which was the Buick Motor company, also owned by Durant, followed by Cadillac, Oakland (Pontiac) and Opel. The company later added

Chevrolet and Vauxhall to its portfolio. It also opened manufacturing units outside the United States.

Early Breakthroughs
In its early years, GM was unique in that it was the only company in the world that operated in all car segments, with Chevrolet producing entry-level cars, Buick and Oldsmobile making higher-end vehicles, and Cadillac producing luxury cars. The Cadillac LaSalle, launched in 1927, became something of status symbol in the US, with the cars designer, Harley Earl, having paid much attention to factors like style and colour options at a time when most carmakers did not think beyond reaching high sales figures.

General Motors and World War II


During World War II, GM produced airplanes, trucks, tanks, guns and shells worth $12 billion for the Allied Forces. Interestingly, the company had also played a significant role in the rearmament of Germany prior to, and during the Second World War, through its German subsidiary Opel. It manufactured one of the most talked-about military vehicles in the history of the Second World War the three-ton truck, Blitz which was believed to be responsible, in no small measure, for the success of Hitlers Blitzkrieg.

A Pioneer in the Auto Industry


GM is credited with a number of firsts in the automotive industry it was the first to build a concept car, the Buick Y Job, in 1938; the first to produce engines that ran on unleaded petrol; the first to introduce airbags in cars; the first to come up with the Anti-Lock Braking System (1972); the first to use the Electronic Fuel Injection (1979); and also, not surprisingly, the first company to make $ 1 billion an year (1955).

Post-bankruptcy Period
The companys successful run, however, has not been without major setbacks. In June 2009, following the 2008 economic downturn, it declared bankruptcy, and was eventually split into two. Within a few months, a New GM emerged with the US Governments support. The new company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in November 2010. In 2010, for the first time ever, General Motors sales in China exceeded its sales in the US. It operates in the East Asian country in partnership with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC).

TopCompany Founder(s)
American car company, General Motors, was founded by William Crapo Durant, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1908. Before venturing into the motorcar manufacturing business, Durant had sold horse-drawn carriages for over fifteen years with partner Josiah Dort

in Flint, Michigan, under the Durant-Dort Carriage Company (initially known as the Coldwater Road Cart Company).

Early Days at Buick


Interestingly, Durant was far from being a car enthusiast in his early days. On the contrary, he thought the machines to be loud and dangerous. However, when offered a chance to work for local car company Buick as General Manager in 1904, he decided to take it up as a challenge. Shortly thereafter, he was made the companys President and eventually took it over with some financial backing from family members. An oft-repeated story about the Buicks initial successes under Durant relates to the New York Auto Show. When he took the car to the Show in 1904, he managed to bag as many as 1,108 orders for it, thanks to his excellent salesmanship. This was a significant achievement, given that the car had sold only 37 units till then. Within four years, Durant had turned Buick into one of the most successful car companies in the US.

The Founding of General Motors


Not content with selling one car model alone, and convinced that the future of the automobile industry lay in catering to a variety of customer preferences, Durant brought together 13 car companies (including Cadillac, Buick and Oakland) and 10 accessory manufacturers to form General Motors in 1908. This phase of expansion, however, was followed by a period of financial turmoil, leading to Durants ouster from GM in 1910.

Chevrolet and Final Stint at GM


In 1911, he partnered with race-car driver Louis Chevrolet to found another successful car company Chevrolet. The new companys profits allowed Durant to regain control of GM in 1916, though not for long. (In 1917, Chevrolet too was brought under the General Motors umbrella). For a few years after his triumphant return as CEO, Durant ran General Motors magnificently and took it to a new high, but he was slowly becoming obsessed with the share market, and started spending more and more time trading stocks. His waning interest in the companys dayto-day affairs led the Board of Directors to oust him again in 1920 this time for good.

Bankruptcy
Durant later founded the Durant Motor Company, which could never match the success of GM. The company was liquidated in 1933, following the Great Depression, and in 1936, Durant declared bankruptcy. He died in 1947, at the age of 85.

TopCompany Milestones

1962: GMs market share of the US market was 51%. 1965: GM earned 2 billion dollars in the year

1968: A fifty story GM building opened in New York. 1971: Unleaded gasoline became the main fuel of all GM cars. 1974: GM introduced air bags for cars. 1975: GM started fitting catalytic converters in cars. 1979: GM started manufacturing cars in Spain and Austria. 1982: GM bought a 10% share of Suzuki Motor Corporation 1985: The Chevrolet Nova was manufactured in Fremont in California by GM and Toyota. 1987: Cadillac and Pininfarina started manufacturing the Allante two-seater convertible. 1989: GM bought a 50% share in Saab. 1990: Robert Stempel replaced Roger Smith as the Chairman and CEO. Third and fourth quarter losses for GM were 3.7 billion dollars. 1991: GMs sales fell low and its stock price dropped to 27 dollars while its US market share was 35%. 1992: John Smale, a P&G employee replaced Stempel as the Chairman of GM. GM lost 23.5 billion dollars 1995: Agreeing to corporate on car and powertain manufacturing, GM and Shanghai Automotive Industry joined hands. 1996: GMs headquarters shifted to a center on the Detroit River. 1998: Rick Wagoner became GMs president and chief operation officer. GMs US share was below 30 per cent. Chevrolets Geo brand was discarded. 2000: Rick Wagoner became CEO of GM. 2001: Bob Lutz became the vice chairman of GMs global product development. GM launched a Keep America Rolling sales campaign. 2005: GM had to pay 2 billion dollars to Fiat to cancel its agreement. Chevrolet started exporting cars to China. 2007: The company was ranked the fifth largest by Fortune Global 500. 2008: GMs share of the US market is 20.6 per cent. It employs 250,000 people.

TopVision & Values


General Motors is a multinational corporation that aims to provide its customers superior products and services and help its employees and business partners attain a return on investment. GM has been a leader in the automotive industry and is expected to continue to be a leader. They believe in integrity, teamwork and innovation. GM is a Fortune 500 company. They have a strong foundation and strong core values. The company also believes in Corporate Social Responsibility. GM creates value for its shareholders and has a reputation of being a responsible employer and partner.

TopManagement Team

Daniel Akerson is the Chairman of General Motors since January 1 2011. Prior to becoming the Chairman, he was the CEO of the company since 2010. He served as the managing director of The Carlyle Group, he was the CEO of Nextel communications where he took the company to a

national level and he served as the Chairman and CEO of XO Communications. He did his masters in economics from the London School of Economics. Steve Girsky is the Vice Chairman, Corporate Strategy and Business Development of GM. He is responsible for new business development and serves on the board of GM. He has worked in Morgan Stanley and has an M.B.A from Harvard University. Thomas Stephens is the Vice Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of GM. Nick Reilly is the Vice President of GM Europe. Michael Millikin the Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Nick Cyprus is the Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Terry Kline is the Vice President, Information Technology and the Chief Information Officer. Chester Watson is the General Auditor. James Ardila is the Vice President of GM South America. Timothy Lee is the Vice President of GM, International Operations. Mark Reuss is the Vice President of GM North America. Mary Barra is the Senior Vice President of Global Product Development. Daniel Ammann is the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Selim Bingol is the Vice President Global Communications. Joel Ewanick is the Vice President and Global Chief Marketing Officer Robert Ferguson is the Vice President, Global Public Policy. Anne Larin is the Corporate Secretary. Victoria McInnis is the Chief Tax Officer.

TopManufacturing Facilities
There is the Halol Plant in India which has a production capacity of 85,000 units while its facility in Pune which was built with an investment of 300 million dollars had a production capacity of 1.4 lakh units. The headquarters of the company in India are at Halol and Gurgaon and a large technical center in Bangalore. The plants have a very high production capacity.

TopTechnology
OnStar is the technology used in all GM cars. This technology provides a GPS tracking system which can locate the position of the car, hands free calling, and a stolen vehicle tracking system which tells the users where the vehicle is located at a particular point in time. There is also the stolen vehicle slowdown technology which slows down the stolen vehicle and the vehicle shutdown technology which does not allow you to start the stolen vehicle once it shuts off. There is also turn by turn navigation in the OnStar system. GM in terms of technology has a Research and Development lab which is one of the worlds best research and development lab. Located in Warren, Michigan, the lab has laboratories, offices and relationships with universities, government and suppliers. It was the worlds first automotive center. It also developed anti-knock gasoline. They created non-flammable refrigerants, energy absorbing columns, fuel efficient and petrol free vehicles.

The Corvette cars have a Performance Traction Management technology which is used to improve the torque for improving performance of the cars. The cars also have Michelin Pilot tried that are available for two of the cars. These tires are suited for warm and dry conditions thereby being perfect for sunny weather.

TopAwards & Recognition


General Motorss Spark was awarded the Most Dependable Compact Car and Best Compact Car in Initial Quality 2010 by JD Power and Associates India study. GM was one of the top automakers at the NDTV Profit Car and Bike India awards 2011 as it won the Best Communication and PR Campaign for the Beat and the Car Manufacturer of the Year Award. These are really prominent awards in India. GM aims to gain more market share in India, the second largest automobile market in the world. The best vehicles won awards at the sixth NDTV Profit Car and Bike Awards which had commenced in 2006. The award criteria consisted of the following: segment position, environment factor, acceptability, market value, efficiency, and consumer value and segment position. General Motors also won the Automobile Manufacturer of the Year 2010 award by the Golden Steering Wheel, the Indian edition of Europes automobile awards. This award was awarded by CarWale, and recognized General Motors manufacturing capabilities in India. GMs Halol plant was felicitated with the Gujarat State Safety Award 2010. GM India won the third prize for energy conservation at the National Energy Conservation Award 2010 and was awarded by Sushilkumar Shinde. The award was received by P Balendran, Vice-President, General Motors India. GM also won the National Level Quality Circle Awards in Halol, the National Level Quality Circle Excellence Award, Gujarat Safety Award, Energy Conservation Award, TNS Automotive Award, and the National Safety Award. In 2007, the company won the Overdrive Car Maker of the Year Award. It also won the NDTV Profit Car India Awards 2007 Carmaker of the Year Award.

TopInternational Operations
General Motors started in 1908. It has its headquarters in Detroit and it employs 209,000 people in major regions of the world and it does business in over 120 countries. The brands of GM are: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. Globally, GM is most popular in China and then its second largest market is the United States. Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany come next. GM also believes in Corporate Social Responsibility.

TopExports

GM India exports the Beat car to Europe and Asia Pacific. 20% of the cars produced in India will be exported to these continents. Beat comes in three models - Beat PS, Beat LS and Beat LT. The company exports vehicles to Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

TopFuture Plans
GM plans to increase its US market share by one percentage point. They also want to implement new marketing techniques. They want to remake their corporate image as a leader and change focus of their advertising to aspirational. They plan to address the customers, dealers, salespeople, employees and retirees. GM will invest 32 million dollars in its Spring Hill plant and 33 million dollars in its Tonawanda Powertrain plant near Buffalo, New York which will help to create 163 jobs in the United States. The Spring Hill plant will have direct injection of its four cylinder engineers. The company plans to launch the Malibu in 2012 and sell it to 100 countries. This investment is only a small portion of the 2 billion investment in its US manufacturing plants that will create 4,000 jobs in eight states. GM will hold open houses in its 54 plants in the United States. Vistors will wear safety goggles and watch the robots and workers work in the plants. These open houses will have food and vendor tents

TopContact Details
Registered Office
Chevrolet Sales India Private Limited Block B, Chandrapura Industrial Estate, Halol - 389351, District Panchmahals Gujarat Tel: +91-(0)2676-221000 Fax: +91-(0)2676-220666 Website: http://www.chevrolet.co.in

Marketing Office
Chevrolet Sales India Private Limited 1st Floor, Plot Number 15, Sector-32, Gurgaon - 122001 Haryana

Tel: +91-(0)124-3080000, 4213333 Fax: +91-(0)124-4213334

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