Volkswagen open to revisiting Tata tie-up
Months after calling off a planned partnership with Tata Motors Ltd, Volkswagen AG signalled it isn’t shutting the door on a tie-up with the Indian automaker as it works on a strategy to bring budget cars to millions of cost-conscious buyers in the South Asian country.
Cooperation with the owner of Jaguar Land Rover Plc is possible “in principle” in the future, said Bernhard Maier, chief executive officer of Skoda Auto AS, part of the VW group. Volkswagen, which has been long considering making affordable models for India, will decide on its game plan in the first half of this year, he said in an interview at the Beijing auto show on Wednesday.
“We’ve been analysing the Indian market in great detail,” he said. “It’s highly, highly competitive. We’re taking a decision on how to enter this market shortly.”
Unlike in China, where the German group is the best-selling foreign automaker, it hasn’t found similar success in neighboring India, where an average Indian buyer prefers compact hatchbacks or sub-compacts made by Suzuki Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. Last year, the Japanese company’s local subsidiary sold 1.57 million vehicles, compared with VW group’s sales of 63,732 units.
Microsoft India is the most ‘attractive employer brand’, followed by e-commerce major Amazon India, says a survey.
According to the findings of Randstad Employer Brand Research (REBR) 2018, the other most attractive employer brands in India include Hindustan Unilever, IBM India, ITC Group, Larsen & Toubro, Mercedes-Benz India, Samsung India, Sony India and Tata Consultancy Services.
The sectoral specific winners for the most attractive employers this year are Tata Consultancy Services for IT, Larsen & Toubro for Infrastructure & Construction and Hindustan Unilever for FMCG.
“Candidates have choices, not only where they decide to work but in what capacity,” said Paul Dupuis, MD & CEO Randstad India.
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