Currently, the premium car segment in India is very small. Things are changing with an increasing number of people travelling abroad and rising purchasing power. For instance, when NRIs return to India, they prefer using the brand they owned during they stay abroad.

The market for premium cars is gaining momentum and it makes sense for us to make our presence felt at the onset because it takes time for a brand to build. We decided on an exclusive Audi production line in the group factory in Aurangabad and set up a national sales office in Mumbai last year.

However, the challenge lies in developing infrastructure. Compared to other Asian markets, India still has a lot of work left on the infrastructural front.

Once the infrastructure is better, the demand for premier cars will also rise from around 4,000 cars to 10,000-20,000 cars in the next 5-10 years.

What is Audi's plan for the Indian market?

The growth story in India will take time. We need to ramp up dealership networks. Until the end of 2007, we had three dealers in India -- Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

In the first quarter of 2008, we inaugurated exclusive Audi showrooms in Gurgaon and Hyderabad; Pune and Chandigarh will follow in the next few weeks.

At the end of 2008, we will have 10 new Audi dealerships across India. Possible cities are Chennai, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur.

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