Question Ably - 29

Back to back questions on business.

This Indian company is family owned. It started operations in 1929. The chairman says they're interested neither in selling off, nor in buying any more businesses, nor in going public. Such 'conservatism' hasn't stopped the company from becoming a Rs.10,000 crore business. The product it makes measures 53 mm and is reputedly the world's largest selling single brand, selling 15 billion units a month.

Brand and product please.

Question Ably - 28: Answer

Skoda Auto and Volkswagen are the two brands. Skoda Auto was hived off from Skoda Works.  I found a nice picture of what look like gun turrets being made at Skoda Works.

Question Ably - 28

For many decades this brand was associated with the largest industrial works in Eastern Europe, mostly manufacturing a wide array of armaments. During the inter-war years when Churchill was impressing upon his government about the impending Hitlerite threat, he specifically mentioned this industrial plant as a key strategic element which the British would give up if they allowed Nazi Germany to acquire the country in which it was situated.

After the Second World War when the Communists took over the country, they nationalized this factory and dismembered into various specialist plants.

Today this brand is associated, at least in India, with something completely different from munitions. Somewhat ironically, another famous brand from what was once the aggressor-country now owns the brand we're talking about.

Which brand?