Volkswagen to foray into light commercial vehicles

New Delhi, Sep 4 (UNI) Europe's leading car maker Volkswagen today said it will enter the country's light commercial vehicle segment soon.

''We will shortly (year-end) enter the light commercial vehicle segment. But a decision on the timeline is yet to be taken,'' Volkswagen Head of Communication (India) Kurt Rippholz told reporters here.

This entry is primarily targeted at the business class.

The company's choice could include the diesel-run variants of Caravelle, the 6 to 9-seater people-mover and Crafter, the commercial van belonging to VW's T5 series.

Volkswagen group, which has established its presence in the domestic passenger car market with its three brands including Skoda and Audi, has been preparing the ground for its entry into this space.

It exhibited a host of commercial vehicles at the Delhi Auto Expo in January.

The Volkswagen group, which sold 2.64 lakh commercial vehicles worldwide in the first half of the current year, is looking at emerging markets for growth. The company sells buses and large trucks, including the 40-tonne category in South America.

Volkswagen has majority stake in truck manufacturer Scania and minority stake in MAN AG, which has shown interest in starting independent business in India other than its existing JV with Force Motors to make trucks.

UNI TEAM SR DS1408