GM India to launch Chinese MPV

On the back of the newly structured GM India, in which Chinese auto giant Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) has 50 percent ownership, a whole raft of new models is expected from Wuling Automobiles, which in turn is a joint venture between GM and SAIC in China.

While the initial plan is to launch small commercial vehicles from the Wuling portfolio, GM India is looking at opportunities in the passenger car segment too under the new joint venture. There is a plan to introduce Wuling’s new CN-100 MPV, known as the Hong, Guang and produce it in GM India’s new Talegaon plant in Maharashtra.

The Hong Guang was first premiered at the Beijing Auto Show in China recently, and you can tell from the design that it is primarily targeted at the Chinese market. However, by Chinese standards, the styling is pretty subdued and this is sure to make it more palatable to Indian tastes. The general profile of this people-mover is actually similar to the Mahindra Xylo. It has a distinct nose or bonnet section that is not raked as steeply as that of the Toyota Innova, and a large passenger area with two doors. The designers have also used a crease in the side to break up the considerable mass of the body. And like the Mahindra and the Toyota, it’s also a body on frame design.

The nose of the vehicle is actually quite attractive. The nicely shaped headlights and grille are set as a single element, much like on the Honda City, and there is a large opening in the lower bumper section as well. Cat eye-like fog lamp enclosures complete the look of the nose. The rear of the car, however, is very generic and plain despite some styling creases.

GM is likely to concentrate on selling a seven-seater version of this MPV in India that targets both the private and taxi market. The vehicle features a two-tone car-like dash, with the dials and vents reminiscent of the Chevrolet Aveo. The seats have generous bolstering and the MPV can be configured with a 2+2+3 seating arrangement. The second and third row of seats can be folded flat or removed altogether for more flexibility.

Wuling has not taken shortcuts with this car either. The ladder frame chassis has been tuned by none other than Lotus and the suspension has been tuned to deal with a wide variety of road conditions. In China, the CN-100 will be sold with only petrol engines – in fact, Wuling has no diesel engine technology. For India, GM will use its own version of the Fiat 1.3 Multi-jet which was jointly developed by GM and Fiat. While the capacity of the motor is small, it has more than sufficient torque to get the job done. And GM are very bullish about it. “The CN100 is an option we are evaluating for India, and the SDE diesel engine is available to us too, but we need to check the feasibility of using it in this vehicle ",Matthew Tsien, Vice-President, SAIC GM Wuling.

GM is looking at pricing this MPV quite aggressively and a price of around Rs 5-6 lakh is being considered. Sourcing the car from China will give a huge cost advantage and even the engine will be relatively cheap as it will be locally produced. In fact the 1.3 Multi-jet will share parts with the three-cylinder diesel that will be launched in the Chevrolet Beat, giving huge economies of scale.

If executed right, the Wuling van has a very strong chance of being a runaway success. This is one Chinese-based product the competition should not underestimate.