India approves Daimler, Publicis investments

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has approved a proposal by German auto giant Daimler AG to set up a joint venture company for building bus bodies, a government statement said on Monday.

There was no mention in the statement of the size of the Daimler investment nor details of the local partner.

Earlier this month, Daimler's market-leading trucks business said it had formed a joint venture with India's Hero Group to make a range of commercial vehicles for the fast-growing Indian market.

That move would not affect local manufacturing operations that Daimler already has in India, the firm added then.

Hero Group, founded by the Munjal family half a century ago, is a conglomerate that generates more than $4 billion in annual sales. Its joint venture with Japan's Honda Motor Co is the world's largest motorcycle producer.

The government also cleared a proposal by the world's fourth-largest advertising group Publicis to acquire an Indian public relations and advertising company.

Publicis had announced in October that it was buying Indian public relations firm Hanmer & Partners.