General Motors India today rolled out the first unit of its hatchback Beat, meant for export to Argentina, making the Latin American nation sixth major export market for the model.
The first shipment will leave for Argentina next month. The company aims to export a total of 50,000 units of the model this year, over two-fold increase from last year.
"In keeping with our commitment to the Make in India programme, we are proud to celebrate the roll-out of the first vehicle for Argentina," GM India President and Managing Director Kaher Kazem said in a statement.
The new export market is a testimony to the company's commitment to providing the highest quality standards to global customers from the Talegaon plant, he added.
"Whether it is in India or anywhere else in the world, General Motors follows the highest quality standards in its manufacturing processes providing same high quality vehicles that customers in India and around the world expect and deserve," Kazem said.
GM India already exports the left-hand drive Beat to countries like Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC), Uruguay and now Argentina.
The Chevrolet Beat recorded the highest growth for any passenger vehicle exported from India and became the sixth most exported passenger vehicle during 2015-16 fiscal, with a total of 37,082 units.
The Beat, badged as Spark outside India, is available in more than 70 markets worldwide and has sold over 1 million units. The model is produced at GM India's manufacturing facility in Talegaon, Maharashtra, which has a base capacity of 1,30,000 vehicles.
"In 2016, we plan to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with 21,000 vehicles last calendar year, reinforcing our commitment to the Indian market and our strong local supplier base," Kazem said.
This is part of GM's strategy to make India an export hub for global markets and help increase capacity utilisation at the Talegaon plant, he added.
"We expect to identify additional export markets going forward," Kazem said.
The Talegaon facility will become a global export hub for GM, with around 30 per cent of its annual production planned for markets outside India, he added.
