General Motors India rolls out first Chevrolet Beat to be exported to Argentina

General Motors India rolled out the first vehicle meant to be exported to Argentina from its Talegaon manufacturing unit in Maharashtra on May 9, Monday. The left-hand-driven model will be exported to the Latin American country next month. Argentina will be the sixth major export market for General Motors India.

"In keeping with our commitment to the Make in India program, we are proud to celebrate the roll-out of the first vehicle for Argentina," said GM India President and Managing Director Kaher Kazem in a statement.

General Motors India already exports the Beat to countries such as Mexico, Chile, Peru, Central American and Caribbean Countries (CAC) and Uruguay. The Beat is the sixth most exported passenger vehicle from the country in the financial year 2015-16, with a total of 37,082 units. The Beat, which is branded as Spark outside India, is available in over 70 markets globally and has sold over 1 million units.

"In 2016, we plan to export over 50,000 vehicles, compared with 21,000 vehicles last calendar year, reinforcing our commitment to the Indian market and our strong local supplier base. This is part of GM's strategy to make India an export hub for global markets and will help increase capacity utilization at our Talegaon plant. We expect to identify additional export markets going forward," Kazem added.

General Motors India will develop Talegaon facility as its global export hub with around 30 percent of annual production planned for foreign markets.