Car Articles

Chevy cars are flying off the shelf. But all was not rosy for Chevrolet owner General Motors. The company came to India in 1996 and launched Opel cars – Astra, Vectra and Corsa. None of the cars sold in huge numbers, though they were more sophisticated than the existing brands such as Maruti Suzuki Esteem and Daewoo Cielo.

The company then launched Chevrolet brands of vehicles with a tagline “For a Special Journey Called Life.” Chevy launched the Optra in 2003. This car gave the company the initial momentum to create a brand image. The Optra was later replaced by the Optra Magnum. After Optra, it launched the ambitious CBU Forester in India. The car failed to take off and was subsequently withdrawn. The company then launched several models such as Tavera in 2004, which became widely popular with taxi operators as it resembled the Toyota Qualis. But the company was searching for a strong brand image.

They started looking inwards to find an answer. The company realised that they were selling affordable cars, but very costly maintenance space parts. This discouraged buyers to go for these cars, who had an easy and well established alternative Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai. These companies not only provide cheap spares but also had a wide network of servicing centres. GM picked it up quickly. It focused on providing cheap spare parts.

The company then launched the sedan Aveo, and hatchbacks Chevy Optra SRV and Aveo U-VA in 2006. These cars helped established recognition among Indian car buyers, but still the company still did not have a flagship model to sustain its business in the country.