The bling factor – all those luxury cars in India

The 12th largest consumer market in the world currently and rushing headlong to become the 5th largest by 2015, India seems to be turning out into world’s automakers’ touchstone to see where lies the gold. While a couple of years back, bullock carts, cycles, scooters, Ambassador and M800 ruled the Indian roads, there is a change in the scene now. Bullock carts, cycles, scooters still yes! But also zooming in and out of sights are Mercedes (name all those classes), BMW, Audi. A grade-lesser like Honda, Toyota and Skoda have become a very common sight.

We are talking the luxury car segment in India here which at a growth rate of about 30% and numbers like 5000 cars a year is a favored pie of the carmakers over other markets building up. With good reasons. In the past decade, India has seen a sudden upsurge of everything that’s luxurious and an acute desire for the bling-bling.

With a growing number of “dollar millionaires”, these luxury brands just stand to gain. And its not just the sand-pepper haired, spectacles-toting people that can afford these cars. The young executives today seem to have woken up to the charms these uber-chic cars hold and ready to flaunt the kind of moolah required to own these hot wheels.

With the ever-increasing club of millionaires and billionaires, brand seems to hold the only distinction. Audi A4s, A6s, A8s, TT Coupes, Merc C, E and S class, BMW 3, 5, 7 series find very easy takers and one also gets to see Ferrari, Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini once in between.

With the arrival of Alfa Romeo, collector’s edition cars like Mini Cooper, New Beetle and Fiat 500 being introduced and Indian honcho Tata bidding to take over Jaguar and Land Rover, the Indian pangs for jazz and everything glam-y has been underlined. And the various car manufacturers are running bumper-to-bumper to make it to the finish line.

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