Optra drives up GM sales 123% in June

General Motors India (GM) has registered a 123 per cent increase in June 2004 sales, largely driven by its luxury sedan Chevrolet Optra.

GM sold 2,418 cars in June 2004 compared with 1,082 cars in the corresponding period last year.

In June, GM sold 804 Optras, which has garnered a 25 per cent market share in its segment. Between March and June this year, the company sold 3,557 Optras.

In the luxury sedan segment, GM said the Optra has overtaken its competitors Toyota Corolla, Skoda Octavia, Hyundai Elantra and Maruti Baleno.

Last month, GM sold 800 units of its recently launched premium multi-utility vehicle Chevrolet Tavera and 786 units of the Opel Corsa.

"The continuing growth in sales is primarily owing to the good response to the Chevrolet Optra and Opel Corsa models. Our latest offering, the Chevrolet Tavera, has received an overwhelming response from buyers across India. To meet the growing demand for the vehicle, GM India has started a third shift at its facility in Halol, Gujarat. We believe the Chevrolet Tavera is just the right product for India," said P Balendran, vice-president (corporate affairs).

In 2003, GM nearly doubled its sales to over 15,000 cars and expects to maintain the growth in 2004 as well.

According to GM, over 500 cars have been delivered after commencement of the third shift at Halol, and over 3,000 vehicles have been booked for delivery until August. The company has had to stop bookings beyond August owing to production constraints despite ramping up production.

The company claimed that it has achieved 85 per cent localisation on job one for the Tavera, thus enabling it to price the model competitively.