News: Volkswagen reconsiders model range for India

(IANS 22/03/2007) Wolfsburg (Germany) - Volkswagen is reconsidering its range of models to be launched in India but it denied a magazine report that it had frozen plans to build a factory in Pune.

To date, Volkswagen has spoken of introducing its Passat family saloon, which has done well in China, the longer Jetta derivative of its smaller European mass-market Golf hatchback and a bare-essentials version of its Polo minicar for emerging markets, a company spokesman said.

Company's new chief executive Martin Winterkorn had ordered a review of which models were most suited to be made at the company's first Indian manufacturing site. The review was only to consider anew which models were best suited to the Indian market, he said.

A German business weekly had earlier said it would be appearing this week with a report that the plans to set up the plant at Pune had been put on hold. The spokesman said this was untrue and Volkswagen viewed India as a very important market.