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General Motors launches Vectra at Rs 1.33 million

The world's largest car maker General Motors Corporation (GM) has launched its luxury saloon Opel Vectra in India priced at Rs 1.33 million.

The car, being imported as completely built units (CBUs), is available in three trim levels, priced in the range of Rs 1.33 million to Rs 1.59million (in Bombay), P Balendran, vice-president (corporate affairs) of General Motors India Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of GM, said.

''We have delivered the first car two weeks back to a Moradabad-based exporter. We have three more orders on hand and two more are in the pipeline,'' he added.

The company is also exploring the feasibility of importing and marketing CBUs of Opel Zafira in India. ''The market feasibility study is on. No timeframe has been set on the launch date for the car.''

The company is targetting to sell around 100 units of the car in India in the 2000 calendar year. The car would be imported into India as CBUs. A 1.8-litre direct injection gasoline engine powers the Opel Vectra.

The company is targetting embassies, importers, exporters and large corporations with licenses to import vehicles with the Opel Vectra. The sales are being effected through direct contact programmes through General Motors India Limited (GMIL) dealers.

''The dealers help the customers import these vehicles directly from GM, US. These dealers would also take care of the after-sales service and spares back-up for these models,'' company officials said.

GM has already selected a few dealers in metros and markets like Surat, Ahmedabad and Kerala for promoting Vectra in India.

GM had recently introduced the new Opel Vectra which incorporates over 3,000 changes. It includes features like the orthopaedically designed lumbar support seats, electronic climate control and new ten-year anti-corrosion guarantee. The Vectra is available in three versions -- four-door saloon, five-door and caravan.

GMIL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors Corporation of the United states and has a production facility at Halol in Gujarat.

GMIL had bucked the general downtrend in demand in the passenger car industry in June this year to record a 9.4 per cent growth in sales at 603 units from 551 units in May, taking the total sales in the first quarter of this fiscal to 1,736 units. The company had sold 401 units of its latest offering Opel Corsa during the month and 202 units of Opel Astra. Corsa sales represent a 14.5 per cent jump from 350 units in May this year. With this, General Motors sold 1,736 units in the first quarter of 1999-2000.

UNI

Money