Throughout his career, Dr. Lauermann has travelled all over the world and has worked in different markets like Germany, Argentina, Portugal and even China. I ask him to draw a comparison between India and the other global auto markets where he has worked. His answer is quick. "You cannot compare India with other countries. One may feel that it is a little bit similar to the other countries because you are accustomed to certain schemes, behaviours and cultures. And you would think that you have the solution. But when you look at the Indian market and its customers, you realise that it is completely different. It is like no other market in the world. A country
like this with such big diversity, it is unique in the world. You will never find a country like this. China is bigger in size but it is a lot more homogenous. Yes, there is a difference between the north and south in China but not like here in India. India is a mix of different cultures, languages and behaviours. And it is a very difficult to understand market for Europeans. But you have to be open and try to understand it. That's what I am doing."

Last couple of months have been relatively better for the overall automotive industry in India including for Volkswa- gen. So is Dr. Lauermann satisfied with the way things are now shaping up? "Yes," he says emphatically, adding that things are happening the way he and his team had planned. "In fact, even 2015 had a good start for us but we were stopped in between because of the diesel issue. The year 2016 has also started very well. Now, with the launch of the Ameo we have another momentum. This is really helping us. When we look at the sales of the Ameo, it is really fantastic. Ameo is available in the petrol version at present and the diesel version is coming out just before the festive season. We believe the diesel launch will further provide a boost. It will have a better engine with little bit more power. So we have something to offer," he shares.

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