The Chevrolet Beat is being shipped from the Talegaon plant to Mexico with exports to commence from October, while the product launch is scheduled for December 2015.
Keeping up with the Make in India initiative, General Motors has announced the rollout of the first Chevrolet Beat hatchback for Mexico that will be exported from the automaker’s Talegaon based facility. GM conveyed that the South American country is its second major export market and shipments are set to commence from October for the same, while sales in Mexico for the Beat will begin in December 2015. GM also stated that the move to export the Beat is in tandem with the automaker’s strategy to make India a global export hub.
With the Spark now discontinued, the Chevrolet Beat is General Motors’ new entry-level car in India available with petrol and diesel engine options. Essentially the second generation Spark (also sold internationally with the same moniker), GM sells the peppy hatchback in over 70 countries and has retailed over 1 million units of the model worldwide. For the Mexican market, the Chevrolet Beat draws power from a 1.2-litre MFI engine producing 81 HP at 6400 RPM and 108 Nm of torque at 4800 RPM, paired to a 5-speed manual transmission.
Speaking about its export operations to South America, GM India first commenced exports to Chile in September 2014 from the Talegaon facility and has now identified Mexico to be another export market with immense potential. The manufacturer shipped 1000 units from the country last year and is targeting an ambitious 19,000 vehicles this year for exports. GM is also looking to expand to newer export markets, which will help enhance the capacity utilisation at its Talegaon facility, especially with the domestic demand plummeting by the day.
Apart from strengthening the export operations, GM has devised a new strategy to grow in India and will be investing $1 billion (around Rs. 6400 crores) over new platforms, products, manufacturing facility, among other operations. The Talegaon facility which currently has a production capacity of 1,30,000 units per annum will see its capacity increased to 2,20,000 units by 2025. The plant will also be a global export hub for GM with up to 30 percent of its annual production to be shipped outside India.
