The bad news for all potential car buyers is that the price of crude oil has now topped $147 a barrel, which means hikes in fuel prices is only a matter of time. The good news is that India leads the world in the growth rate of dollar millionaires. At last count, these exceeded 100,000 and were growing at 21 per cent per year. These are buyers who look for Rs 50-lakh car, and don't lose sleep over fuel prices. It is to cater to their tastes that the dizzy rush for new car launches continues as the world's auto makers try to woo the Indian customer. In 2007-08, India saw record sales of 1.55 million passenger vehicles (including 334,000 UVs and SUVs), representing a growth of 12 per cent over the previous year. Although the main growth was among the new hatchbacks that account for 72 per cent of all car sales, the luxury segment registered nearly 100 per cent growth, selling 3,200 cars in 2006 and 4,300 in 2007. This year, sales may cross 8,000 units. Globally, it's the German trio of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi that dominates the luxury car segment. Rolls-Royce is owned by BMW, Bentley by Volkswagen or VW (which also owns Audi) while Mercedes created a new super luxury brand