BASF confident on automotive growth in India

India has the potential to become a global car parts supplier, according to Hermann Althoff, BASF SE's Southeast Asia group. Althoff, group vice president for engineering plastics in Asia Pacific, is also confident of steady growth in the Indian market, even though the global financial meltdown has affected every aspect of business. BASF's engineering plastics business has enjoyed double-digit growth in India for the past two years, Althoff said. The company supplies resin to Mumbai-based Tata Motors, which has increased significant use of plastics in its new Nano vehicle, touted as the world's most inexpensive car. Tata is using BASF's Ultramid glass-fiber-reinforced nylon in air-intake manifolds. The use of Ultramid, instead of aluminum, leads to about 40% weight reduction which in turn yields better fuel efficiency. The company has also set up a computer-aided-engineering laboratory in Mumbai, in addition to its compounding plant being built there. www.basf.comNike Zoom Kobe IV