GM is set to market two new cars in India next year to take advantage of a projected 9 per cent per year growth in the subcontinent's car market. Currently taking just 1.6 per cent of the Indian market, GM expects to sell around 9000 cars in 2002.

Small hatchbacks dominate the 580,000 new car/year Indian market. GM already makes Opel, Astra and Swing models at its 25,000 units per year car plant in Gujarat, but those models currently struggle to compete with a host of smaller and cheaper hatchbacks.