Skoda-VW India is well on its way to realize its objectives

The Slavia and the Baleno are out this month and both bring different philosophies and needs for their makers to the market. The Skoda Slavia is now the third product on the MQBA0-IN platform and will be followed by the fourth that was also unveiled this month. Skoda Auto Volkswagen India is well on its way to realize its objectives – to keep the plant utilized and have a profitable operation in India. Once things settle down with regards to the semiconductor shortages and the skewed sales figures because of that, I am expecting the SUV line-up of Skoda-VW to clock around seven to eight thousand units a month and the sedan line-up to account for another three to four thousand units per month and the group should be home and dry without even considering exports and further developments on the platform. While bigger vehicles and SUVs in particular may not be possible on this platform, smaller ones are and we could very well see the Group get into the smaller SUV segment in India.

Maruti Suzuki has had problems of a different kind. While sales volumes are not a concern, the differentiation of its two distinct vehicle line-ups certainly is and as is the perception of the manufacturer lagging behind in the tech race. The company has certainly tried to address both these concerns with the new Baleno, which also sets the tone for future products.

In this issue we’ve put the MG Astor up against the competition and are pleasantly surprised to see how much MG has improved on the dynamics of the vehicle over the Hector and, with premium interiors, connectivity and ADAS, is playing a pioneering role in the segment.

Apart from these, there is also an in-depth look at ADAS, a drive report of the Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV and a whole lot of bikes including three from the recently resurrected Yezdi brand. There is also Bounce, an entry level electric scooter with a swappable battery pack along with all the regulars.

As the world moves form a natural disaster to a man-made one, please ride and drive safe, always wear a seat-belt no matter where you are seated in the car and a helmet whenever on a two wheeler.