Volkswagen Group has invested one billion euro (79,78,61,87,217 Indian Rupees as per conversion rate on June 2, 2018) in INDIA 2.0 Project which will be led by Skoda Auto. Skoda Auto CEO, Bernhard Maier and Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of Skoda Auto India Private Ltd, announced details of the INDIA 2.0 project at a press conference in New Delhi.
Going forward Skoda Auto is responsible for leading Volkswagen Group’s planned model campaign on the Indian market. Volkswagen Group is investing one billion euros towards the implementation of the project, primarily between 2019 and 2021. 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 fulfills the stricter legal requirements for India that come into force in 2020.
Initially, Skoda Auto will develop the MQB A0 platform with a focus on India (MQB-A0-IN). In the second phase, Skoda Auto will be assessing the possibility of exporting vehicles manufactured in India. Skoda and Volkswagen will develop several products based on this platform. The model campaign will begin in 2020 with a mid-size SUV.
To ensure that the planned models will fulfil the requirements of Indian customers, Skoda Auto will develop these products at the world-class engineering centre which is part of the INDIA 2.0 project. Within the INDIA 2.0 Project, Skoda Auto India plans to gradually create 4,000 – 5,000 new jobs.