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Volkswagen To Expand Presence In India

German automaker aiming to produce 110,000 cars a year in India starting in 2009, when a new plant begins operations.

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen AG is expanding its presence in India, aiming to launching two more sedans in the country this year and produce 110,000 cars a year there from 2009, when a new plant begins operations.
 
Cars to be introduced to the market this year include the Jetta and the Phaeton luxury sedan, Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd. President Joerg Mueller said Wednesday. The Jetta will be priced at 1.4 million India rupees (US$35,650; euro24,250).
 
''We are in a starting phase for India. Jetta will be assembled at Aurangabad from the middle of this year,'' Mueller told reporters at a news conference at Auto Expo 2008.
 
Volkswagen introduced its Passat sedan in India in September 2007. It is currently assembled at the Skoda Auto India plant in Aurangabad, in the western state of Maharashtra.
 
Cars planned for production at the new plant include a hatchback based on the Polo and the Fabia hatchback model.
 
Volkswagen also said it will start to make small cars at the new plant from 2010, joining the growing list of foreign automakers looking at the high-volume domestic small-car segment.
 
The automaker's sales data for India last year were not immediately available.
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