Lotus Cars of the UK, which makes some of the best-handling sports cars in the world, is in the process of looking at dealers in India. "We will definitely be in India within the next couple of years," says Glen Moir, general manager (International Businesses), who has confirmed that the iconic car company will bring its much-loved Elise into the market first. The Elise 5 uses a modified version of Toyota's 1.8 motor seen under the hood of the Corolla. Lotus is likely to get the more powerful Elise R as well and plans to homologate the cars for the Indian market.

Lotus is already in markets like Thailand and has seen a fair degree of success even in places like Mexico, where at times the road conditions are worse, than in India. "Ground clearance should not be a problem. We have the same ground clearance as a Porsche Boxster and don't have problems in markets with roads like those found in India," he said.