Volvo plans to launch new models

CHANDIGARH: Volvo Car India (VCI) on Saturday said it plans to strengthen its dealer network and sell 400-500 in the country by the end of this fiscal and launch 2-3 new models in future.
    
"In addition to our dealers in Delhi, Mumbai and Chandigarh, we will soon have our dealers in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Cochin and Pune. Our target is to sell 400-500 cars by the end of this fiscal," the VCI's Managing Director Paul de Voijs told reporters here on the sidelines of a function, in which the company gifted a Rs 44-lakh sedan to Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra.
    
Volvo, which has 10 cars in its portfolio at the moment, is also looking at launching 2-3 new models in future after testing and seeing the market response in India, where it has so far sold 100 cars after its launch less than a year back.
    
Voijs said the company also plans to aggresively target potential buyers directly, marking a "shift from advertising".      Asked if VCI had any plans to put up an assembly line, he said they would be able to take such a decision after about a year when the company would have tested the market.
    
Part of Volvo's portfolio at the moment include three sedans, 1 station wagon, two convertibles and three cross-over model range.
    
VCI, a division of Ford Motor Company, had launched two of its flagship models, Volvo S80, one of whose top end variant was gifted to Abhinav, and Volvo XC90, in September 2007.