Samsung India aims to sell 2mn handsets in '05

Samsung India Electronics (SIEL) has targeted sales of two million mobile handsets across all model ranges this year, and expects to maintain a rowth rate of 60%.

"The target sales for 2005 for our handsets of all models in India is two million," SIEL director, sales and marketing, Ravinder Zutshi said.

"The industry is growing at about 60%. Last year, we managed to grow at the same pace and this year also we are looking at a similar growth," Ravinder said when asked about the expected growth in its mobile handset sales.

SIEL has added another top-end model, D500, priced at Rs 22,500, with 96 mb of user memory, 1.3 mega pixel camera and 1.9 inch lcd screen. The model supports messaging in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati and Kannada.

Cricketers Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif and Irfan Pathan are launching it at the ongoing Lakme India fashion week, 2005.

"This model has been positioned as a lifestyle statement at the top end of our handset portfolio," Zutshi said.