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Caterham India, a subsidiary of the Burman owned Dabur group is setting up operations in India. In an exclusive tete-a-tete with BS Motoring, Ansar Ali, Managing Director, Caterham Cars and Matt Cummings, CEO, Caterham Cars India said that the brand would be officially available in India, come 2012.
Here are excerpts from the interview:
BSM: Caterham is a relatively unknown brand in India. How easy or difficult will it be for you to establish the brand?
Ansar Ali: Given the scale and size of the country, yes it will be difficult and we are not underestimating the job at hand. Our association with F1 (Lotus F1 team - Tony Fernandes owned), the internet and with drivers like Karun Chandhok being part of the team, we think will also aid us in our growth.
BSM: Your compatriot, Lotus Cars believes in going upmarket and becoming a 'cool' brand. Does Caterham harbour such a future?
Ansar Ali: We don't foresee a change in the way we do things. We follow Colin Chapman's policy of being lightweight and focussed. This is exactly what you find in the Caterham 7 and will find in our future products as well. The cars are engaging for the driver, pure in their responses and there is a strong interface between driver and the road. All of this presents an opportunity for us to be different and we plan to be this way.
BSM: Caterhams fall under the sub USD 40,000 and sub 3.0-litre category which requires homologation. When do you plan to begin the process?
Ansar Ali: By early next year (i.e. 2012), Caterham India will import a car for just this purpose. The homologation process will begin immediately.
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