General Motors Is Coming Back To India, As AC Delco!
In the past few years, we saw two American carmakers leave India- General Motors (Chevrolet) and Ford. The former has now made a return of sorts. They haven't, however, brought any cars this time. General Motors (GM) has entered the automotive aftermarket segment and launched its global aftermarket brand ACDelco here. The move comes through a licensing and strategic partnership agreement with Assurance International Limited. It is, in fact, GM’s first major business step in India since its 2017 exit.
Under the agreement, Assurance International will act as ACDelco’s licensed manufacturer and distributor in India, handling production, marketing and nationwide distribution of its products.
Initially, ACDelco will sell automotive batteries and engine lubricants. These are designed for both passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles plying on Indian roads. The company says these have been designed to suit the Indian road and climate conditions. Additional product lines will be introduced over time, as partnership with Assurance International evolves.
We may see eco-friendly lubricants and advanced battery technologies in its product portfolio in the future. Globally, ACDelco’s product range includes replacement parts, fluids, filters and accessories
ACDelco products will be manufactured at Assurance International’s factory in Hisar, Haryana. A dedicated battery manufacturing plant has been set up there.
Lubricants will be produced at a separate blending and packaging facility within the same industrial complex. It has been designed to manufacture a range of engine oils and automotive fluids. Local manufacturing helps keep prices competitive, even when product quality adheres to ACDelco’s global standards.
Distribution of ACDelco products will be done through a multi-tier network spread across the country. This will include distributors, retailers and service workshops. This will cover major urban centres and smaller markets.
ACDelco is quite big globally. It has its presence in multiple global markets across continents. In many of these cases, they have explored successful local partnerships. The formula, thus, isn’t new as such. India, is of strategic significance due to the massive size of its automotive market, and the rapidly growing vehicle population.
Effective utilisation of Assurance International’s manufacturing capabilities and distribution network will help GM’s aftermarket vertical find success here. The aftermarket segment in India is large and competitive. The battery space, for example, has a number of established players. The lubricant sector also has many established brands- both homegrown and international. Winning the customer’s trust will take careful planning, effort and more importantly, time.
Assurance International Limited also has its presence in around 18 countries- primarily in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. The partnership can potentially help ACDelco scale its business in these regions as well.
That’s all we know about General Motors’ return to India, without cars! What about Ford?
Ford’s long-rumoured India return has raised a lot of anticipation. What we know at the time of writing is that Ford is coming back to India but with strategies that may surprise us! In October 2025, Ford announced that it will restart its Maraimalai Nagar plant in Chennai in 2029. The company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tamil Nadu government for the same.
The carmaker will invest 3250 Crores in the facility- mainly to revamp it and set up production lines of next-generation engines. These will all be earmarked for exports. The company plans to turn the plant into its export hub. It reportedly has no plans to bring any of its models anytime soon.
Ford had previously announced its intention to bring some of its halo models to India soon. Even test mules of the Everest (Endeavour) were spotted in India. These, however, did not materialise.