• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Canvas
• Praxis
• Urban Pulse
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

Alka Kshirsagar

`New CEO re-examining proposals made by his predecessor'

Pune March 26 German auto major Volkswagen AG has deferred plans to host an on-site ceremony at Chakan scheduled for April 4 and cancelled a supplier meet slated for mid-May, ostensibly in order to review the models that will be launched in the Indian market.

According to sources, a team from a German event management company, which was in Pune to plan for and organise the May event, received instruction over the weekend that the service would not be required as the programme stood cancelled. No fresh date was offered.

The plan was also to fly in a dozen or so of Volkswagen's top management team, including members of the board and their wives, for a high profile launch on April 4 morning at the site of the proposed plant. There was also to be a grand banquet at a city hotel later that night for around 150 invitees.

According to a report in a German magazine last week, the new Chief Executive Officer, Dr Martin Winterkorn, was re-examining all plans for the company made by his predecessor, Mr Bernd Pischetsrieder, to bring out models most-suited to the Indian market.

A Volkswagen spokesman, who confirmed that no ground breaking ceremony would be held in April, declined to list names of probable models for manufacture. However, the Passat family saloon, the Jetta, a longer version of the mass product Golf and the Polo mini car are reportedly amongst the favourites for the project. The spokesman also denied that Porsche's bid to increase its stake in Volkswagen had anything to do with the decision to delay the D-Day.

According to the plans for the new plant that were announced last November, Volkswagen would set up a facility to manufacture 1,10,000 cars annually at Chakan, and make an investment totalling Rs 2,400 crore.

Related Stories:
Volkswagen - wooed and won
Volkswagen to set up facility in Maharashtra
Volkswagen drives into Maharashtra

More Stories on : Cars | Announcements | New Projects | Maharashtra

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Models suggest `good' monsoon from La Nina

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line