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I dont think GM is doing justice to this brand. Opel has a quality and image that chevrolet cannot break. Gm should lanunch new cars in this brandname. I think currently gm;s strategy is to clear the opel brand name after corsa is phased out.

I feel GM launched the Opel brand name too ahead of it's time in India just like Fiat launched the Palio too ahead of it's time. Indian's were just beginning to see modern cars and the economy was not going as good as it's going now. Esteem and Cielo were snob cars then! The Opel Astra failed because it was costly, not fuel efficient and expensive to repair and service. GM goofed up too by brining in a old engine. 77bhp from a 10 lac rupee car if i remember! Also, GM didn't approach the market as seriously as Daewoo did. The Astra didn't have body coloured bumpers! The marketing strategy of german engineering back fired and people associated german engineering with expensive service bills and low fuel efficiency. So many reasons but if u look at the big picture, no european car maker has succedded in india. Those who think of Skoda, please try and imagine how successful skoda would be without the diesel engine.

P.S. More then 10 years after GM launched the 77 bhp Astra , Honda introduces the 77bhp city and the car is a run away success! But then I have always said, put a logo that starts with HO or TO and you can sell any crap in India at a premium! :D

agreed. Infact sometimes I think HOnda nad toyota play togather worldwide to put down other major competitors. I find the NHC and corolla to be just pathetic. though the accord is the best honda product in INdia.

GM should launch a new car above optra to compete with octavia and mondeo and accord.

it is a known fact that GM is going to phase out Opel brand from India
mostly after launch of Aevo, Corsa line will be phased out & GOODBYE OPEL

Opel India website ( www.opel.co.in ) does not even feature Vectra

& besides GM is not introducing any Chevrolet cars either they are renaming Daewoo as Chevrolet & selling cars as VFM

as someone pointed out earlier Astra was ahead of its time, the market was just opening up & people were not ready
as for FE I own '97 Astra & let me tell you FE is not as bad as people claim it to be if driven nicely, not even in FE mode
just for the record I get around 8.5 - 10 in city with 50% AC & during my last trip to Mumbai airport & back my car gave me 17KMPL & that too at the speeds of around 120km/hr with 4 people & luggege

The Astra club had 92BHP engine but it was setup for performance & hence was thirsty
Club didn't worked well because to begin with Astra is sold as hatch in Europe which was converted to sedan & sold in India so it was never gonna be a performance car
The corsa has held good in market as it is a good safe choice in its class & was launched at appropriate time

GM did launch Astra dielsel which had great FE (around 10 - 12 in city) but the engine was fragile as there was some problem with turbo charger & by the time diesel was launched it was already late for Astra

it is bad what GM is doing but its business & GM is here to make money so its their decision

but even now the brand is strong and GM can use it to market their vehicles. some more eurpean vehicles like the astra will get GM more sales and good reputation.

Man for me astar is "daitya". Man the car engine is so reponsive when u just press acclerator hard it goes zoom. My friend got Astra Club and it really rocks. I have even got this comments from him about the car (Yaar agar main yeh gadi 100KMPH speed par divaar par maar doon. Mujhe pata hai i am safe.) And about average it give overall 10 kmpl in city and 15 on higway (without ac)

The astra had a much higher brand value and a very comfy ride.. also the car being heavy, handled well on corners..however was way too expensive to maintain compared with an esteem or a cielo...and less fuel efficient too... even it was not a reliable car like an esteem, i have heard on more than one occasions where my friend's astra failed on road..
the corsa too is smallish for its price and less fuel efficient, the reasons for it not topping any sales charts..
If GM is to bring its own cars which car it will bring??
Cavalier ?? too old for a new launch
epica?? again daewoo...
Lumina / caprice / malibu ?? too big for Indian customers
I think GM should bring the new 2005 astra which can be surely be termed as "ahead of its time" in India... but again they will have to sell at atleast less than 8 Lakhs for some succes..
cat

Adya, I have seen the Opel showroom on Karve Road (Devdatta) closed a few times recently...has it closed down completely ?

On the other hand I saw a Vectra y'day and my neighbour bought a new Corsa just few weeeks ago :-S

Personally I dont see any real value in the Opel brand now, its better to push the Chevy which is doing better due to the Optra.
It would have been nice had GM brought out the new Astra & Corsa hatchbacks that Vauxhall makes in UK..they are superb and would have been really fresh in Indian market.

Abhay according to GM in India they r surviving only coz of opel Corsa.

yes it was closed down somewhere in late 2003 or early 2004

the workshop hall is now given for social occasions




As for Astra & Corsa hatchback, those are damn good cars but they will be very expensive.
these two cars are very technically advanced & GM might have to import some parts which due to our duty structure will increase cost dramatically

but they still make for a very good car and a very good purchase . Gm should give it a thought.

The Hindu News Update Service

for GM "Der se aaye par dsurast aaye" seems to fit apt. I dont know how much value opel holds now in India but with proper cars GM sure can still sell lots.

NHC maybe pathetic to a car freak or guy who is interested in hardcore driving . Sadly that customer forms not more than 5% . As far as an AAM - Hindustani is concerned what he wants from a 7.5 lac car is good space, good looks, good efficiency,premium feel . Now considering all this points Honda City scores very highly indeed. Its a true allrounder. It may not take you from 0-100 in 10 secs but it sure can take a 4 person + luggage in good comfort , which is what is needed for the mass consumer.

Coming to corolla . Car may be pathetic as far as high speed handling is concerned but she has got one of the most resposive engine at the moment , and she is fuel efficient too , ask any owner and am sure the figure is going to be any where 10-12 which I feel is good for a car that can take you from not to hundred in under 9 secs(stock).Looks are subjective , even I find it too boring and uninspiring but thats the case with many even stock baleno's suck in that department. A few mods can transform this lady into one hot chick !

Really, then why does this car have almost zero resale value?

My uncle has a 2001 Corsa Royale 1.6 and he was planning to go for a NHC ZX. The car has very less miles on it (he is retired, no office commute), he maintains it very meticulously, literally worships the car. But when he tried to sell, nobody wants it. Since he didn't want to sell it for a song, he is still keeping it.

What do you do with a brand that has no resale value? Meanwhile 2001 OHC still commands high resale value.

I read this in an Automotive forum: GM is very clear that is will not customize the Opel as per Indian Conditions and that is the reason GM is not concentrating on Opel. GM's main target is have a good foot hold in India for chevrolet.