The aftermath of the Tavera debacle has hit General Motors really bad as it plans on recalling other models, as well. After admitting to the government in a letter that the firm had violated testing norms while sending Tavera models for inspection, the US car maker is now planning to recall the diesel versions of the Sail sedan and Sail U-VA hatchback. Although no final decision has been taken, the firm is looking to rectify emission and quality issues in order to ensure that no further issues are caused.
P Balendran, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at General Motors India, said, "We have not arrived at any decision yet to recall the Sail, but are looking at all options." It must be noted that issues and malfunctions were found in the diesel variants of Sail models, which triggered the firm to stop manufacturing it from 5th of June. However, according to officials, General Motors had figured out a solution for these problems and hopes to resume production within a couple of weeks.
As per a senior company official, owing to issues in engineering, the recalling of Chevrolet Sail could begin of late. Contrary to this plan, the official also said that the company has not received any complaints from customers. However, industry experts are of a view that if the recall takes place, it will be another reputation damaging incident within a short space of time. Only a few days back, the firm had recalled around 1.14 lakh units of Tavera Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV) following its admission of manipulations.
The government, reacting strongly, has set-up a committee to investigate the matter. General Motors India, on the other India, has terminated around 25 officials, which includes top executives like Anil Mehrotra (Chief Finance Officer), Sheila Sarver (Director, Interiors) and Lavern Sula (Vice President, General Motors India Engineering), following this news. In terms of volume, the recalling of the Sail variants will involve a lesser number of units. This is because the hatchback hit the road in November 2012 while the other model was launched in February 2013. Sales of these cars have averaged around 2000-3000 per month, as per sources.
In the mean time, General Motors India has begun its work to repair the damage caused by the Tavera fiasco. Dealerships are preparing to make the necessary changes, which includes changing the catalytic converter in all and fuel pipe in some cars. P Balendran, confirming the same, said, "We have identified the problem and the dealers have been informed on the issue to change the required spare part. The entire exercise would take around 35-45 minutes at the service station and would be performed free of charge."
Auto analysts believe that General Motors has many issues to sort out due to the recent developments that have taken place. The firm not only needs to correct the malfunction in all cars, but also needs to look into bigger problems that have led to such illegal practices taking place.
