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After DaimlerChrysler and BMW, another German luxury car maker -- Audi -- plans to start assembling cars in India and is scouting for a location for the manufacturing facility.
A part of Volkswagen Group, Audi currently imports its 'A4', 'A6' luxury sedans and SUV 'Q7' in India through the completely-built-unit route.
"Audi plans to assemble its cars in India by the middle of next year," Detlef Wittig, Chairman of the Board of Skoda Auto, told reporters in New Delhi.
Audi planned to start with assembling the 'A6' range, but declined to comment on the possible locations it had surveyed for the proposed plant, he said.
Volkswagen Board Management member Hans Dieter Potsch confirmed Audi was in the process of looking out for asembling locations in India. "We are scouting for locations but nothing has been finalised as yet," Potsch added.
SkodaAuto, another group company of VW group, is already manufacturing cars at Aurangabad in Maharashtra. The group announced on Wednesday it would set up a Rs 2,400 crore (Rs 24 billion) manufacturing facility for the VW brands at Chakan in the state.
Company officials indicated that Audi cars could assemble cars at Skoda's Aurangabad as an interim measure to bring down costs and cut on high import duties.
While German-US car major DaimlerChrysler is already manufacturing luxury cars in India at its facility in Pune, BMW is in the process of setting up base in Chennai.
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