Tuesday 26 March 2013

Profusion Exotic Cars to make India debut


Profusion Exotic Cars to make India debut

Small-scale sportscar company to enter India with CKD models within one month; starting price for first model, the Typhoon, to be around Rs 55 lakh.


Profusion Exotic Cars to make India debut
Profusion Exotic Cars, a small-scale sportscar company that is quite an unknown brand here, is all set to make an entry into the Indian market within a month.

While Profusion specialises in producing track-centric two-seaters, it is also in the process of road-legalising its vehicles for use throughout India. The carmaker will kick-off its stint in India with the Typhoon, a track-focussed, 1.8-litre 130bhp two-seater. The Typhoon will also come with the option of a 2-litre engine that puts out 145bhp. What’s more, Profusion also offers additional custom performance modifications to the 2-litre engine that boosts the output to around 300bhp.

Speaking to Chris Christoforou, managing director, Profusion Exotic Cars, he said, “We’re looking to launch our range of bespoke cars here within the month. Each car will have the option of being customised to individual needs, right from the seat fitting, the colours, the alloys, everything. We’re working very closely with Red Rooster Racing from Bangalore to get the Typhoon ready for launch. With the Typhoon, we want to offer customers a unique experience of having a car that can be used on the track as well as on the road.”

The company will be making its cars only as per demand, and will even give its customers the option of equipping it with a single petrol tank for road use, or a dual petrol tank in case customers want to use it on track.

The company has already set up a production plant in Bangalore and will bring its models in via the CKD route. As far as dealerships are concerned, Profusion will start off with one in Bangalore and will subsequently set up outlets in Mumbai and Delhi within the year. The prices have not been finalised yet, but Profusion is expected to give the Typhoon a starting price of around Rs 55 lakh, which is quite steep for a car designed primarily for track use with little practicality and no creature comforts whatsoever. The fact that Profusion is an unknown brand in India will only make it more of a challenge.

UK-based sportscar maker Caterham also had a similar plan of entering India with its Caterham 7 via the ‘Caterham Academy India’ last year, which didn’t take off in the end. Eventually, the success of such offerings will be based on the popularity of track days in India. The Formula 1 Buddh International Circuit in Delhi is proving to be the most popular for track days, but it’s smaller circuits like the Irungattukotai race track in Sriperumbudur and the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore where cars like these are more suitable

No comments: