German auto major Volkswagen Group will invest Euro 1 billion, primarily between 2019 and 2021, in India as part of its India 2.0 project, which will be led by Skoda Auto. Going forward Skoda Auto will be responsible for leading Volkswagen Group’s planned model campaign on the Indian market. To ensure the products are perfectly suited to the Indian market, Skoda Auto will set up an engineering centre in the country. All models designed and produced locally in India in the future will be based on Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, which already fulfils the stricter legal requirements for India that come into force in 2020.
Bernhard Maier, CEO, Skoda Auto, said, “Experts predict that in the next few years India is going to become the third-largest automotive market worldwide. With our ‘India 2.0’ project we are now creating the right conditions for sustainable growth there. Our objective is ambitious, but achievable: together with the Volkswagen brand, we are seeking a market share of up to five per cent in the long term, depending on market and segment development.”
Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of Skoda Auto India Private Ltd, added, “With the ‘India 2.0’ project, Skoda Auto India and Volkswagen Group India are in an excellent position to optimally confront the dynamics of the Indian car market. In India, we will offer world-class products at prices that amount to a paradigm shift in the automotive industry. We will manufacture the new products on the localised MQB A0 platform, which already fulfils the stricter emission and safety standards that are expected to come into force in India in 2020.”
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