Move over Gandhi, here comes the Corvette. In a move that may prove shocking to many, GM has recently discussed its plans to move a certain number of units over to India as early as next year. The units in mention would be limited to high end sports cars such as the Corvette and other models if demand warrants it.
Though many who feel that the Corvette is an American icon that should remain in America as much as possible, GM is not alone in their quest for a product that will be accepted worldwide. Other name plates such as Nissan, Porsche, and Ford have also recently laid the ground work for a movement into India and all would be sending their top tier sports models. Even Mercedes and Honda have tipped their hats by sending some of their models to the Delhi Auto Expo this past year, though they remain tight lipped on the subject of an India movement.
What it all boils down to is dollars and cents. While much of India is poor and there is not a need for the higher end Corvettes there is also a higher class that does have money and is craving the American sports car legend. That being known, why wouldn’t GM send over some Vettes?
India has no high end sports cars that are manufactured in their country and rarely have they imported any in significant numbers, but the increase in demand and the willingness from GM and other manufacturers for a supply makes the whole thing come together.
India does have a car manufacturer called Tata Motors, but their vehicles are for the ‘every man’ and are extremely affordable. Along with the affordability though come a tremendous lack of power and a lack of safety standards that keeps the car out of the United States. Even though the country of India as a whole has embraced the smaller economical cars, there is still the upper echelon who continues want more.
India seems to be the next hot spot for car makers to go with their high end sports models. In the past and certainly moving forward a trend will emerge and once one name plate enters the country the rest are sure to follow. Then it becomes a game of who can sell more and establish a stronghold within the country. All of this is in an effort to increase market share overseas which translates to more units sold and more dollars to the bottom line.
Don’t be too upset though because GM has stated that they will only send a limited number of Corvette units to India and have them sold through a boutique specialty dealership. Even so, you can expect them to send more if the supply runs dry and the demand is still high.
2011 holds many new adventures for the Corvette simulators and apparently one of the new adventures just might include India. Instead of being just an American icon, perhaps GM is gunning to make the Corvette a world icon with India as a prime location to help get that done.