GM to target India with SAIC-designed cars

General Motors said it will work with joint venture partner SAIC Motor (600104.SH) to sell Chinese-designed cars in India to compete with offerings from Maruti Suzuki India (532500.BOM) and Tata Motors (TTM.NYSE, 500570.BOM), Bloomberg reported. GM and SAIC plan to introduce up to three light commercial vehicles and two passenger cars in India by 2012, said Kevin Wale, GM’s China president. Last December, the companies announced they would invest US$650 million in a new passenger car and light truck venture in India. Car sales in India remain well below the numbers in China: 215,632 vehicles were sold in India in September, up 29% from a year earlier, while in China sales rose 19% year-on-year to 1.21 million in the same period.