In October last year, Sachin Nagori became the poster boy of Aurangabad. The local businessman had pulled off an incredible world record — the highest sale of luxury cars in a single day, 151 Mercedes Benz cars, to be precise. For a brief while, even the international media lapped up the story. Aurangabad, about 372 km from Mumbai, was suddenly the centre of attention.
Just when it seemed the excitement had died down, there was another such report the following month about 101 BMWs being sold there. That’s when we decided to investigate the phenomenon. Our team of Principal Correspondent Ashish K. Mishra and Deputy Head of Photography Vikas Khot discovered why marketers are making a beeline there — and also, the local cultural nuances they’ve encountered. It’s in places like Aurangabad that the future of India’s consumption story lies. And those marketers who transpose what they’ve learnt in Mumbai in these small towns could end up paying a heavy price. Intrigued? Read our fascinating story on The Value Hunters of Aurangabad on Page 64.(This story appears in the 11 March, 2011 issue of Forbes India. To visit our Archives, click here.)