'Eyeing 20% growth in Indian market', says Hitachi's Gurmeet Singh

ACs are not perceived as luxury items anymore, says Gurmeet Singh, chairman & MD, Hitachi Air Conditioning India

The summer is drawing close, and air conditioners are flying off the shelves. Hitachi India, part of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, wants to make most of it. And it also wants to become a big player in India’s growing consumer durables market. In an exclusive interview with Business Standard’s Pratigya Yadav, Gurmeet Singh, chairman and managing director, Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning India, talks about the company’s plans. Edited excerpts:

Why are consumer durable companies so confident about a double digit growth despite high retail inflation and decreased consumers discretionary spending?

The industry is confident and is expecting robust growth this