Dell Inc., the world’s No. 2 PC maker, is developing new models aimed at Chinese and Indian consumers to drive sales in fast-growing Asian markets, CEO Michael Dell said Thursday.

Personal computer makers increasingly are designing products with Chinese buyers in mind. Both Dell and China’s Lenovo Group unveiled low-cost PCs last year for rural and novice users.

“This year, we plan to introduce 50 percent more notebook platforms than we introduced last year, including exciting new products aimed precisely at Chinese customer needs,” Dell said at a news conference.

New models are meant to meet “specifically the requirements that we see in countries like China and India,” he said.

Dell says its consumer sales in China grew by 54 percent last year, more than three times the industry average of 17 percent.

“When we look at the potential for expansion, we do see huge opportunity ahead,” Dell said. “As far as the U.S. goes, I think the U.S. will

be OK, but not the fastest-growing. We expect more growth in Asia.”

The company last month reported its fourth-quarter profit fell 6.4 percent and cautioned that more cautious spending by U.S. customers could hurt its business.

Dell says it has about 18 percent of China’s market by revenue and 10 percent by number of units sold. Worldwide, it has a 16.1 percent market share, according to consulting firm Gartner Group.

In a bid for a bigger share of China’s market, Dell broke with its World Wide Web sales model and struck a deal in September to sell PCs through the country’s biggest electronics retailer, Gome Group.

Dell’s retail presence in China will expand to 1,200 cities by the end of that year, up from just 45 in 2007, said Amid Midha, Dell Greater China president, who arised with Dell.

“By that summer, we will have more rare products coming to China,” Midha…

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