Volkswagen AG may introduce luxury car brand Bugatti in India in the middle of 2010. The Bugatti Veyron can touch a top speed of 400 km/hr and is expected to be priced between Rs 5 crore and Rs 12 crore in India. However, Mr Kurt Rippolz, the head of communication at VW India, said that it was up to every independent brand to decide on its India strategy, and refused to confirm Bugatti’s entry into the country.
According to media reports, the German car major is keen on bringing a number of its luxury car brands to India, including Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini. Porsche and Bentley cars are currently imported to India by independent dealers.
However, it may not be economically feasible to bring these cars to the country as completely built units (CBUs). Cars imported to India as CBUs have to go through a process of homologation, which may not be possible in case of high-end luxury products because of the expenses involved and their low sales.
This may change as demand for luxury vehicles in India goes up, which seems likely in the light of the country’s high growth rate and the positive experience of other luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
