subject: General Motors-saic's $7,000 Baojun 630 Is Bound For India [print this page] With GM India offering a massive discount of more than a Lakh on both the petrol and diesel versions of the Optra Magnum, the Chevrolet Optra also known as the Daewoo Nubira is way past the sell date. The Chevrolet Aveo is also floundering, not even with the CNG versions of the car that are failing to reignite the demand which has fallen to abysmal depths. The Indian subsidiary of General Motors is set to usher in the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo Hatchback and Sedan versions in 2011 to remain relevant in the hatchback and sedan segments. Perhaps people would also be asking about the Optra.
This is where the combination of SAIC-GM Wuling would come into the picture and bring the Chevrolet Baojun 630 sedan into the Indian market. With a major shift in sight, GM India is not going to launch the Baojun 630 as a replacement to the Optra but instead, they are gunning for the Tata Indigo Manza's jugular. Riding with a spacious and very smart design with a killer initial cost, the Baojun 630, which would initially cost a paltry $7000 seems to have all of the characteristics needed to become a best seller. This would only happen if GM India would manage to get its decisions executed the right way. The low initial cost is seen to be the biggest point that GM could rely on should the company launch the Baojun 630 in India.
The company has launched the Baojun 630 in China in association with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and Wuling. Baojun literally means treasured horse and the brand's logo has a horse head. The frugal tasteful compact sedan would have a pretty good sales potential as it will be released in the Chinese market in the first half of next year.
SAIC holds half of the stake in GM India and it was expected that SAIC will bring its products and sell it under the Chevrolet brand or an all new brand with the help of GM India. Lately, the Chevrolet Aveo sedan, GM's only entry in the C sedan market, has not been registering good sales figures. Despite the heavy celebrity marketing, the Aveo still has not caught the Indian market's eyes. Now, the fate of the company is said to be on Baojun 630's hands.
