(August 6, 2015) NEW DELHI — As part of Chevrolet’s global growth strategy to ensure long-term profitable growth in the markets where it operates, the company has confirmed that it will make $1 billion in new investment in India. The announcement was made in Delhi during GM CEO Mary Barra’s second visit to the country in 12 months.

Barra and GM International President Stefan Jacoby and GM India President and Managing Director Arvind Saxena met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to brief him on Chevrolet’s plans.

“Chevrolet is committed to India for the long term,” said Barra. “We are delivering on our promise and doubling our investment in India. This will allow us to provide our Indian customers the great vehicles they want and the world-class customer experience they deserve. It will also support the government’s Made in India program.”

The new investment is expected to create approximately 12,000 new jobs for GM India and its suppliers. Besides growing the use of the domestic supply base to support increased product localization, Chevrolet will also grow its domestic dealer network to support the greater availability of vehicles and service for consumers nationwide.

The majority of the new investment will support the strengthening of Chevrolet’s Talegaon manufacturing base in the state of Maharashtra. It will enable the facility to localize, industrialize and optimize its footprint to accommodate additional products for the domestic and export markets.

“The new global vehicle family we just announced will have several different body styles designed to meet the expectations of the Indian consumer,” said Jacoby.  “The vehicles will be manufactured and sold in India and feature striking styling that has never been seen here before. They will also be exported worldwide. With this investment, our aim is to double our market share in India by 2020.”

There are no plans to export the vehicles to mature markets such as the United States.

GM India is expected to roll out 10 new locally produced Chevrolet models within the space of five years. They include the Trailblazer SUV, which will go on sale in October of this year, and the Spin MPV, which will reach the market in early 2017.

Talegaon, which currently has a production capacity of 130,000 vehicles, will increase its base capacity to 220,000 vehicles by 2025.  It will also become a global export hub for GM, with more than 30 percent of its annual production planned for markets outside India.

To rationalize its domestic manufacturing operations, Chevrolet will cease production at its Halol facility in the state of Gujarat by the second half of 2016.

“Consolidating our manufacturing in a single location in India will support the long-term sustainability of our business in a challenging emerging market,” said Saxena. “This is not a decision that we are making lightly and we are committed to treating those impacted respectfully,” said Saxena.

Chevrolet has communicated directly with employees at the Halol facility and will have more information to share at a later date.

GM was established in India in 1996 in Halol.  Its Talegaon facility was established in 2008. GM also operates the GM Technical Center-India in Bangalore, which was established in 2003.  India offers a broad lineup of locally built Chevrolet products. In 2014, it sold 56,700 vehicles, giving it market share of 1.8 percent.