Well why not discuss luxury transportation here for those that enjoy the finer things in life. Borrowing in part from a movie with a similar title, I wanted to explore how Indian’s can travel in style now and in the future. Therefore, below we have highlighted a few of the best options.
Automobiles
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| Gallardo | Gallardo Spyder | Murcielago |
India witnessed the entry of the Lamborgini earlier last year. Three of its latest international models that rolled out in India were the luxury Sports sedan Gallardo, the convertible 'Gallardo Spyder', and the 2-door coupe Murcielago.
While Lamborghini has sold only 7 cars thus far, the company expects greater sales as India’s infrastructure (read highways) improves. Who wants to drive a car that can go 322 kph (200 mph) on roads that don’t support much faster than 1/3 that speed. Also, due to the dusty roads and the potential for vandalism, most Lamborghini owners will be too jittery to leave the car for any length of time unless it’s in one’s garage.
Luxury Buses
| Ashok Leyland plans a luxury upgrading of its fleet |
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| Before | After |
Ashok Leyland is planning to roll out super luxury passenger buses to rival Volvo and other high-technology buses. When asked about the company’s plan, Ashok Leyland chief operating officer Vinod K. Dasari said; “The chassis will be made by Ashok Leyland, TVS and a leading automobile firm of Spain would manufacture the body jointly; he said that “they had not yet decided the name to be given to the vehicle.”
Well that’s a relief, up till now Ashok Leyland buses have looked like they were designed right after India’s independence. See what a little competition can do for the population?
Dasari said; “that through extensive market research based on feedback from customers, they were changing the specifications of the vehicles and rolling out new models to suit Indian road conditions. So far, the response from the clients was overwhelming.”
Really? I thought it may because the old Ashok Leyland design was so bad that competitors would soon trounce the company. I have always said Monopolies breed apathy and this holds true here.
Volvo, on the other hand, is well known its luxurious fleet which is boosted by safety and luxurious features.
Volvo has been newsworthy recently due to the increased Multi-National Corporation (MNC) competition in the bus business and partly because of the consolidation in the market.
We found an interview at The Economic Times (ET) in which ET spoke with Eric LeBlanc, CEO, Volvo India.
ET Question: What are the company's plans in the luxury bus segment? What is the potential of the market in India and what is the targeted market share that you hope to achieve by 2010?
Volvo answer: In the bus segment Volvo's focus is the air-conditioned inter-city coaches and city buses. The overall bus market has remained quite steady over the years. While we expect the overall market to remain steady in the near future too, we do expect a steady (but not significant) growth in the segments we address.
However, once we see a certain threshold of infrastructure development and conducive environment for bus transport there is no reason not to
expect significant growth at a later stage.
What we expect now, is the emergence of new kind of buses such as 3-axle buses, articulated buses, rear engine buses etc and enhancement in the quality, specification and features of the current lot of buses.
Again, the entry of these types of buses and the growth of the segment would depend upon how well our infrastructure develops in cities and outside and how well we create a conducive environment for buses to become a key mode of public transport.
Luxury Planes
I was surprised to find that there are luxury jet services in India catering to the private HNW individual or corporations. While there is a huge need, the country only recently opened up air travel to companies and private individuals. India’s Air Charter Services is one of the few I found that address this market.
About: AIR CHARTER SERVICES PVT. LTD. (AVIATION INDIA)—(air charter india / air charter operator) based at IGI Airport New Delhi India, with a fleet ranging from low-cost piston engine aircraft to luxurious turboprops and jets—is playing the same role in Indian Aviation - air charters india.
We cater to the requirements of VIPs, Corporate houses, Travel Agents, Tour Operators, affluent tourists/pilgrims and air medical evacuation experts.
In the future, there will be a decent market for personal jets in India. Unless the infrastructure improves significantly in India, the market will be much larger than in Western societies. The latest personal jet being introduced in the US starts at $3 million and is a luxury business jet. Those who can afford the luxury are sure to buy this sleek plane that cruises at 480 miles per hour.
Luxury Trains
The luxury train market in India is well underrepresented. With the second largest rail network in the world, connecting every nook and corner of the country, there should be more luxury options. One of the better options is the renowned Palace on Wheels. Some other famous luxury trains of India include the Deccan Odyssey, Royal Orient and Fairy Queen. These luxury trains take you to some of the most fascinating historic cities, monuments, wildlife parks and sanctuaries and much more of India.
Luxury Train Charges
Travel charges keep on fluctuating with the time of the year. Below are representative rates for the year 2006 -2007.
| Oct 2006 to Mar 2007 |
| Single Occupancy (per person per night) 300 US$ |
| Double Occupancy (per person per night) 200 US$ |
| Triple Occupancy (per person per night) 150 US$ |
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