General Motors-SAIC’s $7,000 Baojun 630 could be India bound!

Wuling Baojun 630

The Chevrolet Optra a.k.a the Daewoo Nubira is way past is sell by date with GM India offering massive discounts of more than a Lakh on both the petrol and diesel versions of the Optra Magnum. The Chevrolet Aveo is also floundering with even the CNG versions of the car failing to reignite the demand that has fallen to abysmal depths. General Motors’ Indian subsidiary is all set to usher in the 2012 Chevrolet Aveo Hatchback and Sedan versions sometime in 2011 to remain relevant in the hatchback and sedan segments. But what about the Optra?

Wuling Baojun 630

This is where the SAIC-GM Wuling combine will come into the picture and bring in the Baojun 630 sedan into India. In a major shift in tack, GM India will not launch the Baojun 630 as a replacement to the Optra but instead, will gun for the Tata Indigo Manza’s jugular. Riding on spaciousness, a very smart design and a killer initial cost, the Baojun 630, which costs a paltry $7000 seems to have all the trappings of a best seller if GM India manages to get it’s act right. The low initial cost would be the biggest point that GM could exploit, when it does launch the Baojun 630 in India.

Wuling Baojun 630

With the Baojun 630, GM India could take the fight up to the very successful Tata Indigo Manza, which is one of Tata Motors’ best product yet. If indeed, the Baojun 630 manages to materialize for an Indian launch, it could feature a 1500cc, 105 bhp, 135 nm petrol motor for propulsion. At the moment, there is no word about a diesel motor yet. A diesel motor, we feel will be very important addition to the Baojun 630′s engine bay as the Manza comes with a diesel motor too. The presence or absence of a diesel engine probably, would be make or break for the Baojun 630, when it sees an Indian launch sometime in 2011.