Industrialist Ganga Prasad Birla died last night at 87 after a prolonged illness. His Rs 5,000-crore business included companies like Hindustan Motors, Orient Paper and Industries, Hyderabad Industries, Avtec and Nigeria Engineering Works.
Europe's leading car maker, Groupe PSA, officially announced its re-entry in India this April with the Citroen brand. Citroen C5 Aircross SUV will challenge the likes of Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier, Hyundai Tuscon, Jeep Compass and the upcoming MG Hector. The C5 Aircross will be the first of several differentiated products from the company's vehicle manufacturing unit in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.
The JV between the French auto major and India's CK Birla group is aiming at production capacity of about 100,000 vehicles a year by 2020.
Making a debut in India with an SUV, Citroen's products in the next couple of years will clearly chart and define its destiny in what has become both a vibrant but also a daunting market for foreign entrants, says Pavan Lall.
'This is purely a brand sale. It includes the Ambassador with its variants. Peugeot is likely to relaunch the brand with multiple variants.'
This is the second deal between Peugeot and the C K Birla group. Last month, the two groups entered a "long-term" partnership, with an initial investment in capital expenditure of close to Rs 700 crore, for vehicle and power-train manufacturing in Tamil Nadu.
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