Launch of hybrid car in India next month, says group Vice-President (Asia Pacific)

Here is another landmark for Vijayawada, the base capital of Andhra Pradesh. Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo opened its biggest car showroom-cum-service centre on the outskirts of the city on Monday.

The 26,000-sq. ft three-storey iconic building with Scandinavian ambience assumes significance as it was opened on the day when 15 government departments were shifted from Hyderabad to Vijayawada as part of the bifurcation exercise. The current growth and prospects in the region will work well for the company, according to Volvo officials.

Speaking after launching the showroom here, Volvo Cars Group Vice-President, Asia Pacific, Jari Kohonen, said the company was doing extremely well in India and looking at 20 to 25 per cent growth in sales this fiscal. “While continuing the existing models, we plan to launch the hybrid plug-in car next month in India. We also have plans to display the XS 90 hybrid car in Vijayawada soon,” Mr. Jari said.

Among the variety of Volvo models, luxury SUVs are the most-sought-after cars in India, according to Tom Von Bonsdorff, Managing Director, Volvo Auto India.

“Luxury SUVs would largely help us in achieving our targets here. They are most popular,” said Mr. Tom. The company claims to have 20 per cent market share in the cars segment in the State.

Prospective customers from Amaravati

While the brand has good patronage, especially from customers in Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram, Kakinada and other places, new enquiries are coming from Vijayawada and Amaravati, says Manoj Krishna, dealer principal, Volvo Vijayawada. “There is a lot of interest visible in Vijayawada and surrounds, especially from the Amaravati capital region where a lot of disposable incomes are seen. We are currently selling 100 cars per annum and we expect to double the number in the coming two years,” Mr. Manoj said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by Special Correspondent / Vijayawada – June 28th, 2016