Slow and steady. We have been cautious with our investments and have steadily built our presence in the Asia Pacific region. Along with China, the corporation is now focusing on the Indian market. We have grown strongly in the past 18 months and have an aggressive plan for the next five years.

General Motors is positioned as a mature and responsible car manufacturer, which offers great value-for-money products to its customers. The company leverages its global expertise to manufacture and market well engineered and safe products through its well-established retail network that provide an excellent ownership experience to its customers.

Definitely not. The Indian market is growing at a healthy pace and there is adequate room for several players. After having made a cautious start we now have an aggressive plan in which we will bring in several new state-of-the-art products to this market. We intend to be a profitable organisation this year onwards.

Our target is to offer a choice of products to our customers to match their different needs and budgets. Being the world’s largest car manufacturer, we have access to a range of products through our global alliances. We are already present in most segments and will shortly have products in additional segments. However, we are focusing on the fast growing MPV segment with the Chevrolet Tavera and have invested substantially in this product line. We look for customers for life who will have a choice of products to buy from our stable.

Yes, we are looking at becoming a volume player. We have already registered a growth of 70 per cent year to date. As mentioned earlier, we have launched the Tavera this year in the fast growing MPV segment and are looking at big numbers from this car line. We already have a healthy waitlist for this product and are in the process of ramping up our manufacturing capacity to meet the market demand.

GM has been cautious with its investments and has kept its costs under control. Hence, by not having a volume product we have not been significantly disadvantaged. Our strategy so far has been deliberate.

Tavera is a classic case of an India-specific product. Though it is an international product, the car has been totally re-engineered for Indian market requirements. At the start of production, we had a localisation level of 85 per cent that is likely to go up to 93 per cent by the end of this year. This product will help us move from a niche player to a volume player. Even Optra has been re-engineered for our market conditions.

The response to Tavera has been fantastic. Our premium-end variants have a waitlist of more than three months and in certain markets we have had to stop taking additional orders. The car has also delighted customers with its excellent fuel efficiency, ride quality and feature package. The car scores well on exterior styling and appeal and provides best in class air-conditioning, which is a critical customer requirement in our country.

Again, Optra has also seen a successful run and has been rated as the most comfortable car across all segments in the September ‘04 issue of ‘Overdrive’. Optra has beaten cars in a segment above on this vital parameter. Besides, we have been the market leader in terms of sales numbers in certain months. We offer two engine options and several variants to span a wide price segment. Optra has bagged five awards in its first year since launch. The top of the line variant of Optra with leather, sunroof and a five-CD changer continues to be a high seller.

Sustained brand building efforts coupled with intensive ground-level activity has ensured that Optra has remained among the top two players in its segment. We have refreshed the product through continuous product improvements and have emerged as segment leader in fuel efficiency. We recently launched a limited edition of 150 cars, which has received a very positive response and given us rich dividend in terms of brand building and imagery.

A product refreshment plan will ensure that we remain competitive and are ready to meet future challenges in this segment. We also have a regular Customer Relation Management programme whereby existing customers are offered loyalty programmes and great offers. So far, we have organised six Optra Max Mileage Rally meets where Optra customers compete to extract the best fuel efficiency out of their cars and all participants are treated to an overnight stay at an exotic locale with an evening of entertainment. The winners of these rallies are given healthy cash rewards. These vents go a long way in building goodwill and brand loyalty.

Segment-needs and budgets are specific and a suitable variant strategy is inevitably required to meet different segment-needs and to be a volume player in the segment. The variants were decided after considerable research. They have been targeted at different segments and we presently witness a healthy mix. As this segment evolves we will rationalise the variant strategy and add or delete variants to meet market requirements.

We have put in place a customer contact programme where we interact with customers in groups as well at an individual level at regular intervals to assess their needs and overall experience with our product.

The Indian car consumer identifies strongly with the Chevrolet brand, which has had a long presence in this market. This brand has had great exposure through Bollywood movies and is perceived as a premium brand. There is high brand recall and there is a sense of warmth and reliability associated with the brand.

The typical Indian consumer looks for value and does not mind paying a little more for it. Fuel efficiency, airconditioning and reliability along with ease of service and low cost of ownership are major considerations during the purchase process in India.