Carmaker Audi is considering the possibility of setting up a manufacturing plant in India. The company is also planning to add five more dealers in the country in the next two years taking the number to eight. It currently has dealers in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. "We are exploring the possibility of local manufacturing in India. But that will happen with the growth of the market for our cars," said Mr Andre Konsbruck, Executive Director-Overseas Region, Audi. He declined to give further details on the manufacturing plant, only mentioning that it will happen on the company achieving "optimal sales volume". The company is targeting sales of 300 cars in the current year and 600 cars in 2007.

Sports-utility vehicle


The company on Friday launched its sports-utility vehicle `Q7' with diesel and petrol variants of the engine. The 4.2-litre petrol version comes with eight cylinders and produces 350 bhp with a maximum torque of 440 nm. The diesel version comes with six cylinders and produces 233 bhp with a maximum torque of 500 nm. The diesel variant is priced at Rs 61 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), while the petrol version is priced at Rs 77.5 lakh. "We have received pre-orders. We are confident that we will sell at least 50 of them in 2006," said Mr Rahil Ansari, Country Manager-India, speaking about Q7. The company already has its A4, A6 and A8 models in India. It is also planning to bring its RS4 and the S8 models into the Indian market in the future.

"We feel that the market for luxury cars in India will expand in the coming years and thus it is an opportunity for us to bring in models here," said Mr Konsbruck. Globally, the auto manufacturer witnessed record sales in 40 countries last year. It plans to invest 9 billion over the next few years worldwide

The Bangalore - Chennai corridor is becoming a manufacturing hotspot. The who is who of all fields are setting up plants there. The list goes on of Hyundai, Motorola, Nokia, PPG, Clariant, Dell with TVS at Hosur and Toyota in Ramnagaram(Sholay Fame) near Bangalore, Ford at Maraimalai nagar the real estate should be hell of place there.

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Speech by Thomas Friedman of The New York Times....

"When we were young kids growing up in America, we were told to eat our
vegetables at dinner and not leave them. Mothers said, 'think of the
starving children in India and finish the dinner.' And now I tell my
children: 'Finish your maths homework. Think of the children in India
who would make you starve, if you don't.'"

Hai there,

Sorry to ask you this personal question? Have u made any investments there. For your kind information these days NRI's are lured to invest in that belt assuring better returns for the money by these real estate brokers. But the ground reality most of them invested found those agents to be of fake. They innovate so much that these days one cann't really beleive where from these guys get these kind of brains. I still remember the phrase from one of the vernacular movie of Kolywood where the actor Vadivelu after being cheated used to wonder " where from these guys get such idea's" May be they may sit in a room and think whole day about this. Anyhow being a fellow NRI a freindly and cautious gesture please scrutinise things before you make any investmest there. Recent trend in Chennai is a ground on the so called IT Corridor of Sholinganallur sells at about 40 Lacs. With these price I don't see many resident indian willing to invest and hence these realtors are after NRI's. Last week when I was in Dubai I could see a big quantum of Players from India exhibiting thier properties... be it be Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune , Chennai or the GOD's own country...!!!

So BEWARE....