Audi has now started its dealership in India since over a year. The range of Audi cars in India is from Rs. 35 lakhs onwards. The Cheapest Audi A4 will cost you around 35-40 lakhs on road, while the price of the Audi A6 will be between 55-65 lakh rupees. The Audi A8 Quttro is close to Rs. 73 lakhs and Rs 1 crore, and the most expensive one is the Audi A8 W12 version which is priced over a crore.
Audi is now thinking of setting up a plant in India, but before that the company believes they need to establish their niche in the Indian market. Weyler said, “Before setting up a plant in India we need to have a robust sales volume of 1,000-1,500 in a year.”
Maruti and Hyundai both have decided to hike car prices starting from the month of January due to the increase in input costs. Speaking to the company representatives, they felt compelled to do so due to a increase in freight cost and other input costs.
Managing Director of Hyundai Motor India Ltd, said, “There has been an increase in the input and freight cost for car manufacturers. We have tried to absorb as much of the cost as we can.” Hyundai car prices have been raised by close to Rs. 2,500 - 3,500 in all variants.
Maruti have segmented the rise to various amounts depending upon the cost of the car. The Maruti Baleno will now be expensive by over Rs. 12,000 which is a pretty big rise. The new cars like the Zen Estillo and the new WagonR which were introduced at discounted prices will see a rise of about Rs.3,000.
Hyundai, Maruti February 2nd 2007
Volvo will now make an entry to the Indian passenger car market through three distributors. Mumbai and Delhi will be the obvious two centres while the third will soon be decided.
Volvo are also soon to start a bus building factory in Bangalore which will definitely open up some job opportunities for people there. Volvo is a market leader for luxury express coaches here and will now try its hand in the passenger car segment.
The cars which soon will be launched are the Volvo XC90 and S80 model. Volvo will be another major company to start its investment after other major companies from Sweden like SKF, ABB and Ericsson.
India, Volvo February 2nd 2007
