GM to take on Maruti, Hyundai in small car space

General Motors India (GMI) expects the Beat, its new small car, to be among the five best-selling cars in India this year. “We are not taking any chances with Beat’s pricing,” GMI President and Managing Director Karl Slym said. GMI expects to close the current fiscal year with total sales of 70,000 cars. The sporty hatchback carries a host of features that are absent in rival models such as automatic climate control, tilt steering and the multi-functional integrated music system. GM expects to sell more than 5,000 Beats per month initially. Beat’s 1.2 liter petrol engine, generating 80 ps of power that delivers 18.6 km to a liter has been pegged as a value for money car with a price tag of Rs3.34 lakh (US$7,358) for the base variant, much lower than rival Hyundai’s i10 and Maruti’s A-Star and Swift. (January 6, 2009)