AUTOMOTIVE giant General Motors Corp (GM) will launch its new Chevrolet Aveo Notchback and improved Chevrolet Optra by year-end to capitalise on the good demand for compact cars in the country.
General Motors South-East Asia operations president Stephen Carlisle said the local small and compact car segment offered promising growth potential for GM.
“It is a high volume segment and the success of the Myvi is a good reflection of that market,” Carlisle told reporters at a media conference in Chiangmai last week. “The small and compact car segment in Malaysia also provides the best opportunity for non-national carmakers to grow,” he added.
The Chevrolet cars would be distributed through Hicom-Chevrolet Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between GM unit General Motors Asia Pacific LLC and DRB-Hicom Bhd, which holds a 49% stake. Hicom-Chevrolet Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Yukontorn Wisadkosin said the success and popularity of the previous models of Aveo and Optra was one reason to re-launch the cars.
“We already have these products which were popular and well received when we first launched them in Malaysia,” Wisadkosin said.
She added that with the Chevrolet models being assembled in Thailand, GM could further take advantage of the Asean Free Trade Area (AFTA), which under the Common Effective Preferential Tariff would see a reduction in import duties.
On GM’s sales target for the models, Wisadkosin said: “Of course, we would like to sell as many models as possible, but our ultimate goal is to sell 4,000 to 5,000 units a year.”
GM’s latest product in Malaysia, the 7-seater Chevrolet Captiva SUV, has already had about 50 gistered purchasers and over 100 bookings since its launch in November last year.
Wisadkosin also said that having the proper distribution channels would be the key for GM to achieve its annual sales target.
“We need to have the right distribution network as well (to achieve our targets). We need to ensure that our dealers are up and ready,” she said, adding that GM was targeting to have 15 dealers nationwide by year-end.
GM currently has four dealerships in Malaysia. Wisadkosin said it planned to have 20 to 25 dealers locally by 2009.
Apart from the small and compact car range, GM is looking to establish its presence in a different segment as well.
“It is inevitable for us to have a luxury brand in a market like Malaysia. It is just a matter of when the circumstances are right,” Carlisle said.
Regardless of segment, Carlisle said, GM would endeavour to add value to its products with a prime emphasis on technology.
“One of the confidence factors that people have in a brand is technology. If you can bring technology to the market, it is an indication that you are very capable and going to be around (for a long time),” he said.
