Mumbai / Pune, 17 August, 2023: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL), has achieved the 600,000 export milestone for cars produced at its manufacturing facility in Chakan, Pune. The entity that manages the Indian operations of Volkswagen Group brands, including Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini, is responsible for fulfilling the VW Group’s ambition. The ambition is to become the leading European car maker in India. Additionally, the exports achievement cements the position of region India as a key export hub for the VW Group. Moreover, it continues to make inroads into the growing Indian market.
The journey of the VW Group’s exports success commenced with the Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Vento models. These models paved the way for India to emerge as a prominent export hub for the Group.
Expanding on this, the Volkswagen Virtus, Volkswagen Taigun, and Škoda Kushaq have propelled forward with the same momentum. They have done so on the strength of their innovative and versatile features in both left-hand and right-hand drive variants. The India-made models are finding strong demand in Mexico, GCC countries, Sub Sahara, North Africa and other Asian markets, to name a few, further solidifying the Group’s global footprint. Notably, the Kushaq is also the first Škoda vehicle to be exported from India.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director & CEO, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “Exports from India are an integral part of our global strategy. Moreover, crossing the 600,000 units mark is a significant milestone. Notably, India’s strategic geographical location and the engineering capabilities here have been a key to our growing exports. We take great pride in the fact that the Volkswagen Taigun, Volkswagen Virtus, and Škoda Kushaq are carrying forward the successful legacy of exports established by the India-made VW Polo and VW Vento. Very soon we will see the Škoda Kushaq and Škoda Slavia find their way to Vietnam through the parts and components route. This success exemplifies our steady commitment to “Make in India” for both the domestic market and the world. We have a clear focus on engineering each product for international excellence.
The INDIA 2.0 cars have been well-received worldwide. Furthermore, the blend of design, quality, safety and performance that they offer has resonated well with customers across continents. Škoda will export the India-made Kushaq and Slavia models to Vietnam with parts and components starting from 2024. To facilitate this expansion, an advanced 16,000 sq. m plant is currently under construction in Chakan, Pune.
All four INDIA 2.0 models achieved Global NCAP’s highest 5-star safety ratings for adults and children. This accomplishment makes them the safest made-in-India cars. Both the globally marketed Volkswagen Taigun and Virtus obtained remarkable 5-star safety ratings in Latin NCAP crash evaluations.
These accolades underscore Škoda Auto Volkswagen’s commitment to offer the highest safety standards across its vehicle range. Škoda Auto Volkswagen India prioritizes innovation, quality, and sustainability, aiming to strengthen its role as a top European car-maker. This is in the Indian automotive industry.
