GM’s Opel marquee may return to India
General Motors India is mulling bringing back its Opel brand in the niche segment of the domestic car market, months after it slammed the brakes on local manufacturing of products of the marquee early this year.The company is thinking of re-launching the Opel market in the wake of a possible revival of fortunes of German technology here with the entry of the likes of BMW and Volkswagen.
“There is a possibility of re-introducing the Opel in the niche segment,” a company source said.
GM, which had shifted its focus to the Chevrolet brand after the global acquisition of the erstwhile Daewoo, has found the Daewoo’s technology not only cost-efficient but much more suitable to the Indian market. “If and when the company brings back any Opel badge, it would definitely be not in the lower-end of the market,” the source added.
Earlier this year, GMI had announced stopping of local production of the mid-sized sedan Corsa, the last of the Opel stable to be produced in India. It had struggled nearly a decade to carve out a niche in India with the Astra, the Corsa, the Sail and the Vectra—from the Opel range.