General Motors India inaugurated its new flexible-engine facility at Talegaon near Pune. This is GM’s first powertrain plant in the world that enables both petrol and diesel engines to be manufactured simultaneously.
The facility represents investment in excess of US$ 230 million and while it has an initial annual production capacity of 160,000 engines, it is designed to accommodate future expansion. The new plant will produce engines for small passenger cars of the company in India and has come up in under two years.
Speaking at the ceremony, GM India President and Managing Director Mr. Karl Slym said, “This marks the beginning of GM’s next chapter in India. The opening of our new facility will enable our company to become more competitive and keep up with the growing demand for our vehicles. GM India’s sales have grown significantly since we began rolling out our mini-cars, the Chevrolet Spark and Beat, at our Talegaon plant about two years back.”
The engine plant complements GM’s vehicle manufacturing facilities in Talegaon and Halol, Gujarat, and the GM Technical Centre in Bangalore, which is carrying out a range of engineering, design and R&D activities.
General Motors India has completed 14 years of operation and today offers a range of products under the Chevrolet brand, which was introduced in India in 2003. In addition to the Chevrolet Spark and Beat, it produces Captiva, Optra, Cruze, Aveo, Aveo U-VA, and Tavera.
