US auto maker General Motors said it would either introduce or display an electric car in the Indian market next year, but refuted vying with the Tata Nano on price aspect.
The President and MD of GM India, Karl Slym, said “I would like to say that you will start to see opportunities for sale (electric vehicle) to you or demonstration (in India) next year.”
He said this electric car would be a “pure” GM car and not in tie-up with any other firm. Asked if GM wants to introduce a car to directly rival the Tata Nano, Slym said, “It’s true that we are looking at (launching) cars in various different segments.” But he said further, “I don’t think it’s fair to say we are trying to launch a Nano.”
Slym said GM is attempting to look at something not necessarily from the aspect of prices, but concentrated on the “value side of it”, adding he does not exclude introducing a car in a “lower segment” than its “Beat” model.
He said GM wants to recruit nearly 500 extra professionals for its research, engineering and design centre here by the end of the present year, raising the head count from about 1,600 to over 2,000.
Slym said GM has issued contracts valued at $500 million to Indian suppliers for the company’s operations abroad as of end-March this year.
GM India does not want to increase the price of its cars but if commodity prices rise, it would exert pressure on the company, Slym added.