Says GM vice-president (marketing, sales and after sales) Vinay Dixit: “GM has identified the Chevrolet brand as a global brand which is already in use in several countries. The company is planning to introduce three-four new products this year, and they will be under the Chevrolet brand.”

Recently GM announced that the Subaru Forrester, the sports utility vehicle (SUV), will be launched in India at around March 2003. The Japan-based Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), a global manufacturer of transportation and aerospace-related products and manufacturer of the Subaru Forrester, will supply the SUV to GM India.

The former company is 20 per cent owned by GM Corporation, the US parent of GM India. The Forrester will be the first SUV to be launched by GM in India and the company plans to import the product from Japan in the completely built unit (CBU) form.

GM is targeting sales of around 500 units of the Forrester in 2003. From 2004 onwards, the target will be increased to 1,000 units a year. The vehicle will be priced close to Rs 20 lakh. The launch would be GM’s first in the SUV segment in India.

As of now it is not certain whether the Subaru Forrester will be launched under the Chevrolet brand. Say Company officials: “Since Fuji is an alliance partner, we are still in talks with the company over the branding details. A decision will be taken close to the launch date for the Forester.”

The sources add that the recent launch of the premium sedan Vectra and the launch of the Subaru Forester may delay the launch of the Isuzu Panther, a multi-purpose vehicle GM was planning to bring in from the Isuzu stable this year. Thus the Panther may not be introduced in India this year.