General Motors may produce electric min-car at Talegaon
Car-maker General Motors India said it may consider producing an electric mini-car at its Talegaon facility in Maharashtra after it showcases the model next month in the country.
The company will also introduce a diesel variant of its small car Beat with a 1.0-litre engine in June. The prices of the variant are expected to be 10-15 per cent higher than the existing petrol version.
“We will be showcasing a electric mini-car in June. This car has been developed in the US and is meant for a global audience,” GM India President and MD Karl Slym said. GM India played a big role in developing the technology for the car at its R&D centre at Bangalore, he added. The company is likely to unveil the car on June 5, which coincides with World Environment Day.
Asked when company would launch the car in India, Slym said: “It will depend on feedback from our customers here when we will unveil it... If we decide to produce and launch it in India, we can use the Talegaon facility for that purpose.”
The Talegaon facility has an installed capacity to roll out 1.4 lakh units annually and is currently being expanded to up to 3 lakh units per annum. When asked if GM has utilised the technology that it was developing with REVA Electric Car to launch an electric Spark, Slym said: “The REVA project is completely closed. This mini car is different from what we were developing with REVA. Here we are using a lithium ion battery to run the motor.”
In September, 2009, GM India had entered into a technical tie-up with REVA to develop an electric version of its small car, Spark, which was scheduled to hit the roads in 2010.
