Race to rule the roost

With GM rolling out th
14 August 2003

Mumbai: Honda Siel's target of becoming the market leader in the upper mid-size segment by 2006-07 was an attainable one till a few months ago. That was before the launch of the Chevrolet Optra from the stable of General Motors India (GMI) last month.

The Chevrolet Optra, originally the Nubira from Daewoo Motor, is GMI's much-publicised entry vehicle into the mainstream Indian market. On all fronts the car has everything going for it.

Designed by Pininfarina, a well-known Italian design house, the Optra has superb looks and styling, comes with a powerful engine and has luxurious interiors. And all this comes at a price that is likely to give competitors sleepless nights.

Within two weeks of its launch, the Chevrolet Optra has sold over 1,000 cars even though the company had initially targeted to sell around 1,000 cars in a month. The company is now planning to increase the Optra's production to meet the surging demand.

GMI seems to have realised the price value equations prevailing in the Indian market and has priced the Optra, on all counts a premium D-segment offering, in the Rs 8-9 lakh bracket, competing with cars like the Toyota Corolla, the Skoda Octavia and the Honda Siel.

While the sales of the Corolla and the Octavia may get affected from the launch of the Optra, the car most likely to feel the heat of competition is the Honda City.