According to a Reuters report, Skoda expects to see a near doubling of its sales in India in 2003. The company expects the sales growth to result from three model launches and further growth in new car demand in India.

Skoda has been in India since November 2001 when it began assembling and locally selling the Octavia model.

“We plan to sell 8,500 cars this year after doing about 4,400 cars in 2002,” Imran Hassen, managing director of Skoda Auto India Pvt Ltd, told Reuters.