Volkswagen's first car in India this year

Mumbai, July 3: Wolfsburg-based car maker Volkswagen will launch its first car 'Passat' in India this year, which will be the first model assembled in the country.

The company will also set up a subsidiary, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited, in order to strenghten its operations in India.

The Indian operations would be headed by group MD Joerg Mueller while the passenger car segment will be headed by Mr Andreas Prinz.

The company is initially targeting tier-1 cities Mumbai, Delhi and Banglore to establish its dealership network and will gradually expand operations to other Indian cities.

The Indian subsidiary will operate as an independant distribution company for Volkswagen and Audi in India and has plans to import models like Touareg.

''The company is looking forward to its engagement in India. Our Indian operations will play a significant role in the overall growth.'', said Mr. Mueller.

Headquartered in Germany, Volkswagen group is Europe's largest car maker. The company delivered 5.734 million vehicles last year and holds 9.7 percent of world's passenger car market.

The group's popular brands include Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.

UNI