Manikchand first Indian Maybach owner

Pan masala tycoon Manikchand Dhariwal has forked out an astronomical Rs five crore to become the first Indian to own 'Maybach', the country's most expensive car.

The keys of the Nayarit Silver- and mid grey-coloured super luxury saloon was handed over to Dhariwal by DaimlerChrysler managing director Hans-Michael Huber today at the company's Pune plant.

About 15 top Indian billionaires had pledged Rs 75 crore for buying Maybach.

Luring Indian customers with deep pockets, Maybach made a debut in India early this year.

Earlier, the luxury carmaker had said it would sell 7-8 units of Maybach annually.

The cynosure of car connoisseurs dazzled people during the auto expo in January this year. The car will be produced on orders, normally it takes six months to deliver a Maybach.

With Maybach's launch in India, its German-US manufacturer DaimlerChrysler has received a number of queries about the car.

Not to be outdone, Bentley has lined up 'Arnage R' and 'Continental GT' which will cost Rs three crore and Rs 1.6 crore, respectively.

In a move which shows the depth and maturity of the Indian auto market, BMW is also toying with the idea to charm buyers with super luxury saloon '7-Series'.

The super luxury sedan will be imported as completely built units (CBUs).