Jun. 7 – General Motors India announced a 61 percent increase in sales in May, selling 8,225 units in last month against 5,109 units in May 2009.

Gm sold 2,812 Chevrolet Sparks, 2,296 Chevrolet Beats, 1,418 Chevrolet Taveras, 854 Cruzes, 396 Chevrolet Aveos, 312 Chevrolet Aveo U-VAs , 84 Chevrolet Captivas and 53 Chevrolet Optras.

According to the American automaker, the increase in sales was primarily driven by the demand for the extremely popular Chevrolet brands Beat, Cruze and Spark. The Beat and Cruze have become the industry benchmarks in their respective segments and a winner among consumers in India.

“We are excited by the continued overwhelming response to Chevrolet Beat, Cruze and Spark,” said GM India Vice President P. Balendran. “Introduction of best-in-segment cars from the 300 series, increase in customer outreach through distribution network, our unique value proposition like Chevrolet Cashless Ownership offer and our promise to deliver quality and performance are the factors that have led to the impressive sales.”

GM has ramped up production by adding second shifts at Halol and Talegaon plants to meet the increased demand of its products. The company is also rapidly expanding its sales and service network to support the increasing market demand of its cars, The Economic Times reports. The automaker intends to take the network to 300 sales points and an equal number of authorized service outlets by the end of 2010 from the current 206 sales points and 200 authorized service outlets across the country.

GM has been in the India market since 1996. It currently offers products in its Cheverolet brand, which has been in the country since 2003 and is emerging as one of the fastest growing car brands in the country. The current Chevrolet models produced by GM India include the Captiva, Optra, Cruze, Aveo, Aveo U-VA , Spark, Beat and Tavera. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Halol, Gujarat and Talegaon, Maharashtra.