GM India eyes 20% small car share by 2010

Enthused with the growth of the small car segment in the country, General Motors India today said it is eyeing 15-20% share in the space by 2010.

"We would like to have strong presence in the small car segment in the coming years while considering the potential it offers in country. That is why we have targeted a market share of 15-20% by 2010," General Motors India General Manager (Sales) Sumit Sawhney said.

The annual market size of the small car segment in India stands at about 7-8 lakh cars and is growing at a pace of 15-18%. The segment accounts for 70% share in the domestic automotive sector.

Although General Motors has made late entry into small car segment with the launch of Chevrolet Aveo U-VA and Chevrolet Spark in India, the company plans to sell 28,000-30,000 units of both these models by the end of this calendar year.

"By the end of this year, our small cars will have a share of 45% in our total sales," he asserted.

When asked about company's plans to launch another small car in future, Sawhney remained affirmative but declined to divulge any details in the regard.

The company is targeting sales of around 75,000 cars by the end of this year. It sold 38,000 cars in 2006.

The company plans to increase the strength of its service centres to 140-150 from 110 at present.