9 May 2006

India is on the road to a transport revolution

Guardian Unlimited Business | | India is on the road to a transport revolution: "When Yohan Poonawalla took delivery of the first Rolls-Royce Phantom sold in India last year, the car was everything that he was promised. Inside the 2.5-tonne, 20ft vehicle was a hand-crafted walnut dashboard featuring a humidor. The tinted windows had electronically controlled curtains. Open the doors and out popped a silver-handled umbrella.
But the £500,000 vehicle's first miles in the country were traumatic for Mr Poonawalla. Picking it up from Mumbai, the 34-year-old scion of a wealthy industrial family had to drive the car to his home in Pune, 180km away. Despite its immense power - the Phantom zooms from 0 to 62mph in under six seconds - the car slowly picked its way through the maze of Mumbai's decrepit backstreets and gridlocked intersections"

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