German automotive industry targets 200 mln sales in India this yea

New Delhi, Jan 10 (UNI) The German Automotive industry is targetting a sales of over 200 million euros in India in the year 2008.

''This year, we expect our suppliers to achieve export sales of over 200 million euros,'' Verband der Automobilindustrie's (VDA) MD Achim Raubere told reporters on the sidelines of a conference at the 9th Auto Expo.

India is becoming even more important as a production location and market for the German automative industry and its suppliers, he added.

Mr Rauber emphasised that the German automotive industry's investments in India has been rising in recent years.

The number of production plants of German companies had increased in the last ten years from 34 to 60. Ten major German suppliers alone employed a workforce of over 25,000 in the country, and sales had reached 1.2 billion euros. These companies had already invested 380 million euros in India, Mr Rauber revealed.

In addition to many individual exhibitors of vehicles and there parts from Germany, 30 companies from automotive supply industry are exhibiting their products at the German Pavillion initiated by the VDA and promoted by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology.

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