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Business News/ Companies / Lack of infrastructure in India for electric car launch: GM
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Lack of infrastructure in India for electric car launch: GM

Lack of infrastructure in India for electric car launch: GM

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Coimbatore: Auto major General Motors India on Thursday bemoaned the lack of requisite infrastructure in the country, especially power, to enable it to come out with the electric car.

“We have proved, by displaying the electric car in Delhi, that we have the technology. But where is the infrastructure, particularly power?" P Balendran, vice-president, GM India, asked at a press conference here.

He said when there was power shortage for domestic purposes, it would be difficult to get additional power for recharging the car battery. Such bottlenecks could be a problem to commercially launch an electric car in India, he claimed.

Balendran, here to launch GM’s new Diesel variant of Beat, said the company would go ahead with its plan to introduce five new vehicles in the next 18 months despite sluggishness in the automobile market.

Though the industry had shown minus 15% growth in July, GM saw a 34% growth in the period, mainly in the six day period after launch of Beat Diesel variant on 25 July.

The company, which sold 1.1 lakh cars, expected to sell 1.4 lakh vehicles this year, Balendran said.

He attributed the sluggishness in the market to increase in interest rates and also hike in prices of petroleum products.

Since 80% of car purchases were through finance, slump in purchase was automatic.

He however said while first time buyers would go for purchase of new car, those buying a second car would postpone it for some more time, which would lead to fall in industry growth.

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Published: 04 Aug 2011, 04:48 PM IST
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