2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan

The Chevrolet Optra Magnum, which first began life as the Daewoo Nubira and then the Lacetti is a South Korean car that has been selling in India for more than half a decade, in the form of the Optra initially, and then as the Optra Magnum. The car, which sits in the Indian C-segment in terms of positioning is available only with a turbo diesel engine heart, and a stonker at that, with 120 Bhp of peak power and 305 Nm of peak torque. The car, although priced well never really took off in India. Now, the car has reached the end of its model life cycle with GM India planning to discontinue it over the next few months.

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan

This year is turning out to be a watershed year in terms of the number of cars that GM India will discontinue. Along with he Optra Magnum sedan, the American car maker will also cull the Aveo U-VA and the Aveo sedan from production, cars that have, for long served out their product life cycles, even as sales touch rock bottom. The Optra Magnum on the other hand, has a dedicated fan following amongst turbo diesel enthusiasts, especially for the steep torque kick the 2 liter TCDI diesel engine delivers every time the turbo spools up.

While the Optra Magnum is a stonker on straight stretches, the weakness of the overall package has been when the going gets twisty, with a soft suspension making the car a nervous handling, especially when hustled. Also, the seemingly dated styling weren’t winning this car too many fans anyway, what with much better looking offerings crowding the Indian C-segment sedan space. Now that GM India has officially declared its intent of discontinuing the Optra Magnum, its a splendid time for you to press hard for big bargains at dealerships if you’re is indeed set on buying this fast turbo diesel sedan.

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan Rear

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan Side Profile

2012 Chevrolet Optra Magnum Diesel Sedan

Just as 2012 will see a record number of cars being put out of production by GM, this year also promises to be the year with the maximum number of cars that the American car maker is launching in India. Slowdown concerns apart, GM India has just launched two cars on consecutive days, in the form of the facelifted Captiva SUV and Cruze sedan with a brand new Z-Series turbo diesel engine.  In the coming months, the Sail hatchback, the Enjoy MPV, the facelifted Spark hatchback and the Sail sedan will be launched, making it one busy year for GM.

Courtesy: HinduBusinessline