The grand Auto Expo to be held in January 2008 will see the launch of a new sports utility vehicle (SUV) Captiva by the General Motors India. Officials from General Motors India (GMI), which is a fully owned subsidiary of General Motors said that Captiva will serve to fill the SUV bracket as a completely built unit (CBU) vehicle. They further added that the company would like to expand their product portfolio beyond the small cars it is presently proffering. Captiva will definitely score with the Indian mass since it looks more like a stylish compact SUV that has a three-seater as well as a seven-seater variant.

 

The new SUV Captiva sure looks enticing. The exteriors look tough, built for the rough road, while the interiors are warm and cozy, providing a pleasant ride. The styling is typical of Chevrolet, larger-than-life. Captiva will be available in diesel and petrol versions. The diesel version has a 2 liter displacement, gives a torque of 310 Nm and produces an output of 150 bhp. The petrol version comes with a 16-valve four-cylinder engine that gives a torque of 220 Nm and an output of 142 bhp. While the diesel version gives a mileage of 13.4 kmpl, the petrol version delivers a mileage 10.2 kmpl.

Announcing that General Motors nurtures really big goals as far as Indian market is concerned; officials divulged that if the volume aspect is properly taken care of then GM would definitely look beyond the CBU operations for Captiva. And that with time, newer models in other segments also would be launched. The GM officers said that India was an important domain for their company, for which it has cooked long-term plans. The price range is however not yet decided and the discussions regarding how to make it a profitable automobile is still on. GMI is also deliberating about introducing alternative fuel on its current models.