General Motors India has chalked out a strategy, in which exports from the Talegaon plant near Pune, will play an integral role in its turnaround strategy.

This is expected to account for nearly half the company’s total sales next year.

The company has also commenced test exports of locally built engines to South Africa.

Exports of cars from the Talegaon plant began last September and around 1,000 units were sent to Chile last year. This year, GM’s small car Beat will go to the Mexican market from here instead of from Korea, facilitating utilisation of idle capacity and raise the export target from India in 2015 to 20,000 units.

The first step in this direction was the roll out today of the first left hand drive Chevrolet Beat that is headed for Mexico, seven years after the facility was launched in 2008.

Shipments of the car (which will be sold in the Mexican market as the Spark) will begin next month, while sales are scheduled to start in December. “We have changed our strategy, and exports are critical,” said Arvind Saxena, President and Managing Director.

With GM’s strategy centred around making India a global export hub, additional export markets are being identified and overseas sales from here could be half of total production in 2016, and up to 30 per cent of all sales going forward, he said.

Though GM’s small car has been in the Indian market for seven years, sales in the domestic market have not taken off, calling for a serious re-look in strategy.

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