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Old 18th May 2017, 23:39   #166
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

I own an 8 year old Spark, handed down to me and primarily used by my mom now. It is still a very nimble drive inside the city and mom loves it for the numerous cubbleholes and storage space! I have had only minor niggles so far, but sourcing parts has become an issue. I tried aftermarket for simple things like a replacement breather hose, but it doesn't seem to work. Back to the Chevy authorized and they wanted 10 days to procure the part! Was actually looking to exchange it and switch to a newer hatch, but the news makes me feel like keeping it! Guess no point selling it; might as well keep it for the memories. Even took my license test in it


There were Chevy showrooms shutting down everywhere, but the one in Kochi city seemed to be doing good. Would see cars packed every time I passed. Might also help that Kerala Police uses a lot of Enjoy and Tavera models.


The news also piques interest on many counts. Will SAIC be selling their models in India with the acquisition of the plant? What kind of vibe will it send down Skoda, Fiat and the likes? Or is it the beginning of the consolidation age for the standing players? Already Maruti-Toyota and VW-Tata are shaking hands. Will we be left with an array of generic and "super efficient" cars?


Even though the general mood is that of anger and resentment, it will be sad to see the end of another iconic brand. As a kid growing up in 00's, souped up SRV's and Cedia's were my eye poppers. Models from Chevy, Mitsu and Fiat were the spice of the roads in every drive.


Farewell, GM.
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Old 19th May 2017, 00:00   #167
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Hi guys.

I don't know about GM exiting India. got no such info. My factory is a 2 min drive from the GM Halol plant where the Tavera was manufactured, where they've finally wound up operations. sad empty huge parking lots on the way to work everyday. But they're building a new facility in Maharashtra. Talks are on about the Chinese brand SAIC buying the Halol plant.

Last edited by ampere : 19th May 2017 at 08:22. Reason: Fixed punctuation
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Old 19th May 2017, 00:31   #168
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Chevrolet was quite an aggressive brand in 2010. That was also the time when it had all the right products, and sales were also high. The lineup of Spark, Beat, Aveo, Captiva, Cruze, Optra and Tavera was decent. Wonder why they diverted their attention to cheap Chinese cars like Sail and the Enjoy. They did nothing but only tarnished the reputation of the firm.

Chevy has such a nice portfolio in the US. They should have taken inspiration from back home, rather than getting the Chinese cars for Indian market. The Sonic hatch is far better than the Sail. Similarly they could have offered Trax in the Compact SUV and Equinox in the full blown SUV category.

Chevy was at one point of time quite strong in India, all they needed was to carry forward their momentum. They themselves are responsible for their demise.

Off Topic: My uncle who earlier owned a Matiz, and later got a Spark as its replacement, is in shock. He is sure that even Maruti will go bankrupt the day he buys a WagonR.
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Old 19th May 2017, 06:58   #169
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

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Exactly my worry! This could send a very wrong signal to some of the other manufacturers who are struggling in India. And there are a few more companies below GM
As far as I am concerned it will force manufacturers to either shape up or ship out. Why would any company invest half a billion dollars and sell a thousand cars a month. It distorts the market, like Ola and Uber have done. In fact I believe consolidation is good for the Indian market. Products will get better. Chevy products got progressively worse. The Sail twins were an abomination.

The biggest reason so many manufacturers sell small volumes is because of their miserable or non existent after sales service. Chevy never had this part right despite at one point bringing in brilliant cars.

Last edited by ampere : 19th May 2017 at 08:20. Reason: fixed quoted tag
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Old 19th May 2017, 07:37   #170
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It's not that companies have not wound up their operations earlier. GM has done it before with Opel also. The only issue I see is that this will deter many common buyers to not go into the territory of lesser known brands and stick to Maruti, Hyundai, or some Indian brand. This might have a cascading effect on the already dwindling sales of the other manufacturers and the decision makers might just make this an excuse to wind up domestic sales. I bought an Ecosport last week. Imagine if Ford after 3 years says it can't sustain the Indian market. I as a consumer is forced to sell off a good car at a hefty discount suddenly. Next time I too will stick to a Maruti or an Hyundai or a Tata for atleast this peace of mind.
Sad state of affairs for a company as large as GM. Simply bad management.
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Old 19th May 2017, 09:48   #171
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Thinking about it some more, IMHO GM will get rid of its Talegaon facility too in the future. There's no point having presence in the country if you don't have local sales. GM has facilities in many other countries which it can use as an 'export base'.

It's just slow poison being administered. First, exit from Gujarat, then exiting local sales, selling Gujarat to SAIC and finally getting rid of Talegaon.

Talegaon would be a good facility for other manufacturers to lap up. Excellent location too. Lots of pics in this thread.
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:13   #172
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

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Thinking about it some more, IMHO GM will get rid of its Talegaon facility too in the future. There's no point having presence in the country if you don't have local sales. GM has facilities in many other countries which it can use as an 'export base'.
Exactly my thoughts. I strongly believe they will exit India altogether. Obviously Talegaon will now get least priority and it will not be easy to maintain a manufacturing set up which will keep churning out quality cars consistently if there is no focus. The tax treatment might also differ (especially after GST) if the manufacturer is not selling in domestic market but only operating as an export hub. Plus I doubt if Beat Essentia will have market in those South American countries, so they might not even launch it there at all.

Looking at all such possibilities, the decision to exit completely might come sooner than expected.
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:18   #173
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Thinking about it some more, IMHO GM will get rid of its Talegaon facility too in the future. There's no point having presence in the country if you don't have local sales. GM has facilities in many other countries which it can use as an 'export base'.

It's just slow poison being administered. First, exit from Gujarat, then exiting local sales, selling Gujarat to SAIC and finally getting rid of Talegaon.

Talegaon would be a good facility for other manufacturers to lap up. Excellent location too. Lots of pics in this thread.
Investing heavily in a manufacturing plant and then wrapping up the operations in just 6-7 years down the line reflects poorly on the company management's future planning. Some of my acquaintances own Chevrolet vehicles and they are a worried lot after this sudden decision by the company. Most of the Chevrolet owner's have loads of praises for the vehicles they own but nonetheless everyone agrees on one thing that the after sales services provided by the company were poor.

A friend of mine who is a more than happy owner of Chevrolet Aveo had told me once about his pathetic experience at the company service center, wherein he had to struggle to get his damaged front windscreen replaced, firstly due to delay in procuring the requisite part from the manufacturing facility and then due to lack of trained staff to carry out the job.

To conclude, the poor after sales services provided by the company has been its nemesis and apart from that not launching new models from time to time to keep pace with the competition proved to be the last nail in the coffin.
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:19   #174
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Sad news indeed, another bites the dust (without trying enough).

I own the 2 talented, but problem kids in Cruze (6 years) and Punto ( 2.5 years) and now with one parent shying away the up-keeping responsibilities is a looming problem and may quickly turn into problem of plenty

no problems with cars health(fingers crossed) , however what worries me for rocket at the onset is propulsion impact(spare/service support) than the depreciation .

Now I know why elders promote marriage in respected and rich families, but yeah dil hai ki mantaa nahi



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Old 19th May 2017, 10:45   #175
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

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Off Topic: My uncle who earlier owned a Matiz, and later got a Spark as its replacement, is in shock. He is sure that even Maruti will go bankrupt the day he buys a WagonR.
Add me to your uncles list, who had exactly the same thought..owned a Matiz and now a Cruze.. I own a Skoda also...lets see what happens to that company..
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:48   #176
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This is sad - though not surprising. I've always had my eyes on the Cruze diesel - the imposing looks and powerful engine go together I believe. I was considering a used (2-4 year old) Cruze if a good deal comes by. I'm now confused if this news means 'stay away' or if I'll get a good bargain on one now.

The Linea T-Jet is also one other car I've had an eye on (Despite having a mixed experience owning a used Palio) but with talks of Fiat planning to exit the market (comparatively less likely, still scary) I'm wondering if I should go for the usual Hyundais and Marutis.

Ford doesn't have a proper Sedan here after new Fiesta (currently I drive a Ford Fiesta Classic).

Apologies if I'm deviating from the topic, but would it be prudent to pick such brilliant cars which are not sold anymore or potentially in a path for deprecation considering they might boast a good value-for-money on initial costs? If so, would going for a 2-3 yr old used car makes sense than pick a new one off the showrooms? (Which are essentially leftover, unsold stocks)
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:51   #177
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Wow, now that the night has passed away and the news having sunk in. I think its really terrible for the customers, the dealers and the staff of the company.
As consumers, I think the company should compensate us. The government should not simply allow companies to pack up and leave as and when they want.
They had to compensate with the workers of Halol. They should compensate the customers and dealers also.
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:53   #178
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

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Fourth and most important, What about the employees who would have recently joined Chevrolet in Gurugram? simply giving them 3 months of compensation would not serve any purpose. How would they exist in long run? Is 3 month sufficient for them to secure a new job? It is something that GM management needs to think about it.

Lastly, it is GM which is squarely to be blamed for the failure of their India business. the management needs to be punished for pushing the future of thousands of employees in darkness. Worldwide MD & India MD should be brought to task and they should not be allowed to leave the country till the time they are acquitted by Indian law.
While I agree with your other points, I think you're getting carried away on the above points.

Companies do well, and companies close down. This is part of the normal business cycle. While it is really sad for the employees, and I empathize with them, I don't think GM has any obligation to them other than the statutory legal requirements. This is not a charity being run for the employees. I thought 3 months compensation was a standard procedure, apart from the PF and other arrears, if any, and is a good enough time to look out for another job.

Remember that businesses take huge risks, make huge investments, and hire employees, giving them jobs/salaries for many years. The salaried employees in turn don't have the headaches of dealing with innumerable issues of running a company, other than what they're supposed to do. Tomorrow, they can just walk away to a better job without any strings attached.

And, why should the management be punished? Have they broken any laws? If so, then I agree. Them not being allowed to leave the country is pushing this too far. Note that poor business decisions/strategies, losses, inefficiencies, closing down, etc cannot be considered as a fraud. Sometimes businesses have to close down as part of ever changing scenerios.

Remember video cassette shops and STD booths?
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Old 19th May 2017, 10:58   #179
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

This makes me really sad. I think sad is an understatement.

I relocated to Auckland in 2008 for my studies and stayed there till 2010 when my contract with a telecom company company ended in 2010. My first car was a 1998,single hand , 140K done Holden Commodore. I sold it after hydroplaning it 6 AM in the morning when rushing for office. Completely my fault but I thought I needed a safer car.

Exchanged it with another car. The only option considered was a Holden Commodore. A later Commodore VZ 3.6 V6 was chosen with 75K on the ODO. I think using the word " A hoot to drive " is an understatement. Explored almost the entire North and South Island in the beast. Sold her with a heavy heart when I relocated back to India in 2010.

I was so convinced by the build quality of GM that I picked up a Chevy Beat within 4 months of being in India. A 2011 model Beat Petrol LT which has clocked around 60K and is still fun to drive. Even after 6 years of ownership , she has given me fewer niggles than the much later date XUV.

I think Chevy/GM lost it due to a wrong strategy, poor India management and wrong models at the wrong time. RIP GM!!
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Old 19th May 2017, 11:10   #180
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Re: Chevrolet to stop selling cars in India? EDIT: Confirmed on page 8

Got a message from Chevrolet Today

"ANNOUNCEMENT : General Motors recently announced the decision to withdraw Chevrolet sales from India. As a Chevrolet owner, we want to reassure our commitment to you to continue to care for your vehicle with any future service, warranty and spare parts needs. For any questions, please visit us at www.chevrolet.co.in or call 1-800-3000-8080. / CHEVROLET INDIA"

Guess, I have to look at selling my Chevrolet Sail now, at a pathetic price (was already really bad, anyway)
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