CEO sees good growth for Coca-Cola in 2008: paper

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) expects to achieve strong global growth this year, helped by expansion in emerging markets and a weaker dollar, Chief Executive Neville Isdell told India's Economic Times newspaper.

Increased spending on marketing, new launches, strategic acquisitions and a clear succession plan have given Coca-Cola "a business tailwind" for the future, Isdell told the paper.

"The car is back on the road, though it's not going fast enough", he told the paper.

Coca-Cola has benefited from its acquisitions of FUZE teas and Glaceau, which have boosted sales at a time when its traditional carbonated soft drinks, including Coca-Cola and Sprite, were experiencing sluggish U.S. sales as consumers switched to other options like bottled water and teas.

Total U.S. sales volume of carbonated soft drinks fell 2.3 percent to 9.92 billion cases in 2007, a steeper fall than the declines of 0.6 percent in 2006 and 0.2 percent in 2005, industry publication Beverage Digest said this week.

There was a 50 percent possibility of a U.S. recession, Isdell told the paper, and it would be a tough year economically.

But Coke's growth in emerging markets could help offset that.

"With strong growth in emerging markets like India and Latin America and the benefit of a weak dollar on our side, we should achieve good global growth this year," he was quoted as saying.

Coca-Cola, the world's largest soft drink maker, last month reiterated its long-term targets to increase annual sales volume by 3 percent to 4 percent, revenue by 5 percent to 6 percent and operating income by 6 percent to 8 percent.

(Reporting by Rina Chandran; Editing by John Mair)