We love the story told by Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro, to illustrate how Western companies don't always get the Indian market. When Ford, he explained, decided to make a big move into India, it decided to pare down a $20,000 model it made in the US to a $15,000 version for Asia, which it figured would be more affordable. One money-saving idea was to get rid of the electric windows in the back of the car.
What Ford hadn't realised was that a $15,000 car would be the preserve of Indians wealthy enough to employ a driver – most of whom were unimpressed with the fact that their staff had automatic windows while they were stuck in the back with old-fashioned winders!!
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