US car giant GM is to develop and market a small, cheap electric car for the Indian market. The car maker will develop the car in conjunction with Reva, the manufacturer of electric vehicles, best known for its G-Wiz models in the UK.
General Motors India and Reva Electric Car Company announced today in New Delhi the signing of an agreement to cooperate in the development of electric vehicles for the India.
GM India and Reva will jointly develop car platforms and electric vehicle technology for the vehicle.
“We are pleased to be joining hands with Reva, a leader in the development of electric drivetrains and control systems,” said GM India President and Managing Director Karl Slym.
“We will also work closely with the government of India, which has expressed a goal of reducing fossil fuel dependence, in the development of an electric vehicle infrastructure. We look forward to giving our customers a new choice of environmentally friendly products.”
The two companies have begun feasibility studies of GM’s small vehicle platforms to host the electric technology. GM and Reva plan to announce more details about the vehicle soon and begin production in 2010.
Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of Reva, said: “We are extremely happy that we have found a partner in GM India that shares our passion for reducing carbon emissions. Reva and GM India will leverage our companies’ strengths to help make India a global hub for the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and related technologies. Our unique collaboration has the potential to result in far-reaching changes for the industry.”
“Development of small electric vehicles is a growth area for the automotive industry. We expect cooperation with Reva in India to accelerate GM’s progress to meet the emerging needs in many parts of the world,” said Nick Reilly, President of General Motors International Operations.
After recently emerging from bankruptcy, GM is pursuing a policy of increasingly focusing on alternative fuel as part of its restructuring process.
One of its best known electrical models, Chevrolet Volt, which is scheduled to start production in the United States in late 2010, is expected to travel up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) with its flex fuel-powered engine-generator.
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