When General Motors launched the Optra in India way back in 2003, it was an instant success. The vehicle was developed by Daewoo and GM took over the Korean automaker after its collapse. The Chevrolet Optra was soon followed by the NY Edition in 2005, followed by the hatchback version SRV. The American automaker launched the diesel version of the Optra, calling it the Optra Magnum in 2007. The Magnum featured the front of the SRV along with slightly revised styling. The diesel-powered Optra did decent numbers and in 2009 GM launched the second generation Optra, renaming it the Chevrolet Cruze.
Prices of the Chevrolet Optra were revised after the company dropped the 1.8-litre D-TEC petrol engine completely. The Optra is now available with either a 1.6-litre petrol or a 2.0-diesel engine which produces 103 BHP and 125 BHP respectively. However this did not work out well as competitors refreshed their products thoroughly. This resulted in the Optra sales declining heavily. Last month GM sold just 7 units of the Optra in the Indian market, which is hard to believe considering the car has a very good diesel engine on offer.
Now such poor sales doesn’t justify keeping the Optra on sale anymore. Thus GM is considering pulling the plug on the vehicle. GM knows very well that every product has a life-cycle and the Optra is definitely in its decline and phase out stage. However, its still not clear what product will replace the Optra. Could GM give the Optra a thorough facelift to revive the brand or will GM just discontinue it and place the Sonic sedan in its place? The Chevrolet Optra range starts at Rs. 8.80 lakhs for the LS 1.6, while the top end LT 2.0 TCDi is priced at Rs. 11.55 lakhs (all prices on-road, Mumbai).
