GM's new plant to produce diesel engines for Chevrolet Beat

The Indian unit of US based leading car maker General Motors has announced that it will inaugurate its brand-new engine plant in India on 12th of November this year. The plant is currently under construction at Talegaon near Pune. It will be the first ever flexi-engine plant in the world from GM that will produce both the diesel and petrol engines. The company has invested as much as $230-million for the set-up of this plant. The facility will have a total engine manufacturing capacity of 1.6-lakh units and the company will commence the commercial production at this plant from 1st of November 2010.


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Initially, the plant will produce a new 1 litre engine for one of the company's most successful compact hatchback Chevrolet Beat. The fitting of this 1.0L diesel engine will make Chevrolet Beat the first-ever locally-manufactured diesel model in the GM's India portfolio. The launch of Chevrolet Beat diesel will take place in the first quarter of next year and will be followed by a CNG variant in next two months.


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According to a statement given by Mr P Balendran, VP, GMI, the company is yet to finalise a date for the launch of a diesel Spark. He added that although the plant is capable of making four engine variants, the company will start with one diesel and one petrol power-trains. The reaming engines that will be manufactured at this plant will include a 1.2 L petrol engine and a 1.4 L diesel engine. The company has already announced that it will launch as many as five new vehicles in the Indian market in coming months that comprise of three light commercial vehicles and two passenger cars.

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