American automobile manufacturer General Motors’s Indian subsidiary has introduced a new revamped version of its small car Spark with a price range of Rs 3,26,000 to Rs 4,10,000. The upgraded Spark will compete with the likes of the new Alto 800 by Maruti Suzuki and the Eon by Hyundai Motor India.
The newly launched version is expected by the carmaker to boost sales and increase activity amid sluggish auto market conditions. The Spark is being offered with benefits such as a three year or 1,00,000 kilometers standard warranty along with free maintenance for three years or 45,000 kilometers whichever comes earlier.
The automaker has witnessed a decline of 76 percent in the sales of the small car Spark selling 3,473 units in the period April to September 2012 in comparison to the sales figures for the same period in 2011. The decline in sales has been attributed to the absence of a diesel option with the car model.
The Indian car market has been witnessing a shift from petrol cars to diesel cars since the end of year 2011 continuing into 2012 due to the price differential of Rs 22 between petrol and diesel. This has resulted in a decline in the sales in the small car segment due the lack of diesel engine option.