Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Tata Strategic Management Group

• The Indian market is tough, but still offers Western companies huge potential
• The strategy consultancies Roland Berger and Tata Management Group assist companies in entering the Indian market
• Excellent opportunities for the automotive industry

India is booming – the country is currently enjoying growth rates of 6%. For Western companies, the subcontinent still offers vast opportunities. This was the message of a joint press conference in Stuttgart with Ralf Kalmbach, Partner and head of the Automotive Competence Center of Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, and Raju Bhinge, Chief Executive Officer of the Indian Tata Strategic Management Group.

"India will grow faster than average in the coming years," said Ralf Kalmbach, Partner and head of the Automotive Competence Center of Roland Berger Strategy at a joint press conference with the Indian consultancy Tata Strategic Management Group in Stuttgart. "So India offers Western companies incredible potential if tapped correctly," added Raju Bhinge, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Strategic Management Group. India is the world's fourth largest economy with a GDP of USD 3.6 trillion in terms of purchasing power parity. "India is a worthwhile market but also a difficult one, as it is requires a different business model to address the mass market," said Bhinge. "Western companies that have adapted to Indian conditions have emerged as market leaders."

Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and Tata Strategic Management Group have therefore embarked on the first formal collaborative venture between a leading international strategy consultancy and Indian management consultants. The alliance combines comprehensive knowledge of the Indian market with several decades of global consulting experience, and can thus help companies to successfully enter the market.

Huge potential for the automotive industry

India is an extremely promising market for the automotive industry in particular, emphasized Berger expert Kalmbach. Car manufacturing in India has risen 9.4% on average since 2002. Compared to China, India is still a small market, but one with immense potential. "Just eight out of 1,000 Indians own a car. With a growing consuming class of around 160 million households by 2014 and nominal per capita incomes doubling every 7-8 years, the Indian subcontinent has the greatest potential for future growth worldwide," concluded Bhinge.

The press meeting is one of a series of events accompanying Raju Bhinge's visits to Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Paris, Milan and London.