With effect from January 1st, 2019, the VW Group will establish a new management structure in India under Skoda’s leadership. The restructuring of the Volkswagen Group companies is scheduled for 2019, subject to regulatory approvals, and once complete, Mr. Gurpratap Boparai, currently Managing Director of SKODA AUTO India Private Limited, will become Managing Director of Volkswagen India Private Limited.
As part of ‘INDIA 2.0’, Skoda will be responsible for the Volkswagen Group’s model campaign in the Indian market. All future models to be developed and produced locally in India will be based on the Volkswagen Group’s modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform, since it already meets the stricter legal requirements in India, which will come into force in 2020. In this context, Skoda is developing the MQB-A0 IN sub-compact platform exclusively for the Indian market. A new compact SUV will take birth out of this project and will be launched in 2020. In the second phase of the project, Skoda will be examining the possibility of exporting vehicles built in India.
The Volkswagen Group is placing the responsibility for implementing the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project in the hands of the newly formed management team. The aim of this measure is to make more efficient use of existing synergies and to establish more agile coordination processes so that decisions can be made more quickly and flexibly. Joining Mr. Boparai’s team will be Mr. Pavel Richter, Technical Director of Production in the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project. He will lead production responsibility for the Group in India.
Talking about the new development, Mr. Bernhard Maier, Skoda Auto CEO, explains: “India is an important and attractive growth market for us. Our goal is clear: In this highly competitive environment, we aim for a combined Volkswagen and ŠKODA market share of up to 5% by 2025. Based on the MQB A0-IN platform from 2020, we will be offering the right models to unlock the Indian market’s potential.”
Mr. Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of ŠKODA AUTO India Private Ltd. Head of ‘INDIA 2.0’, adds: “With the introduction of the new management structure, we are laying the foundations both for the joint implementation of ‘INDIA 2.0’ and for achieving our goals in India: we will secure employment in India, create new jobs, attract talent and launch high quality and attractive vehicles on the market.”