Skoda India 2.0
Rahul Ghosh walks you through Skoda’s Project India 2.0 which promises two new SUVs, better sales and service experience
All guns blazing: Skoda’s new strategy with Volkswagen has two new SUVs on offer
There is little doubt that Skoda in India needs a solid boost to get their sales figures going. Now the Volkswagen Group has come with a rather ambitious plan which they are calling ‘INDIA 2.0’ project. In this new project the company is going to make fresh investments of one billion euros and this investment will be used to develop new products that will be based on the new MQB-A0-IN platform. In the second phase, Skoda will be assessing the possibility of exporting vehicles manufactured in India. Skoda and Volkswagen will develop several products based on this platform.
Now let’s look at the products which the new will spawn. Skoda has already announced two new SUVs to be positioned below the Skoda Kodiaq. One will take on the Hyundai Creta and the other Maruti-Suzuki’s Vitara Brezza. Most importantly both these new vehicles will be badged as both Skoda and Volkswagen. The Volkswagen plant in Chankan, Maharashtra is going through a major revamp and will receive a new body shop to produce these new SUVs. Skoda has also confirmed that the new SUVs will not exactly be sub-four meter in length. But to ensure that the cost does not go through the roof, the company is looking at 90 per cent localised content. We also expect Skoda to start manufacturing a new engine at the plant apart from the tried and tested 2.0-litre TDI motor. This new engine could very well be the 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine.
Lastly, we believe that the first car to be launched in 2020 could very well be the production version of the Skoda Vision X which the company revealed sometime back. It fits Skoda’s INDIA 2.0 vision like a glove. As for the dimensions, it looks set to take on the Hyundai Creta. Exciting times ahead for Skoda in India.