ŠKODA AUTO INDIA MARKS NEW PEAKS WITH INDIA AS A GROWTH HUB
■ Celebrates the success of INDIA 2.0 with global congregation in the hills of North India ■ India strengthens position to become third largest market for ŠKODA AUTO globally ■ Strong export thrust of Made-in-India, Made-for-India MQB-A0-IN platform cars to Gulf Countries ■ Meet also commemorates KUSHAQ as the safest car in India with GNCAP 5-star crash rating for both adult and child occupants
ŠKODA AUTO India ccelebrated the last quarter of 2022 with an international congregation in the picturesque backdrop of the Himalayas in Dehradun. The Peak-to-Peak Drive showcased the achievements of the company and its India-made products to a large gathering of Indian and international automotive experts. ŠKODA AUTO India also commemorated the full 5-star crash safety ratings for the KUSHAQ at the recently-conducted GNCAP crash tests. Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Petr Šolc, Brand Director, ŠKODA AUTO India said, “Usually, we call the world to our Mladá Boleslav headquarters and showcase our products. It gives me great pleasure and pride to invite the world to India to showcase our India-developed and India-made products, which have proven themselves on the world stage. It was an incredible few days for all of us at ŠKODA AUTO India, interacting with experts from India and the world. Our INDIA 2.0 heroes were in their element in the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas. 2022 has been a remarkable year for us. With the response we have received, we are confident of carrying forward this momentum into 2023, and beyond.”
The congregation saw auto enthusiasts from India, Germany, Slovakia, Ireland,
Belgium, France, Austria, and the Czech Republic. ŠKODA AUTO India also introduced the Anniversary Edition of the KUSHAQ, with Model Year 2023 updates to the KUSHAQ and the SLAVIA to follow. The year 2022, with more than a month to go, has already seen ŠKODA AUTO India record its Biggest Year in India with the sale of 44,500 cars from January to October. India is now the third largest market after Germany and the Czech Republic and the largest outside Europe for ŠKODA AUTO globally.
October also saw the KUSHAQ earn a 5-star rating for both adult and child occupants, the only made-in-India car to have achieved this double score. The KUSHAQ is also the first to be tested under the newer, more stringent GNCAP test protocols. The GNCAP rating highlights the competence and quality of the MQBA0-IN platform and ŠKODA AUTO India’s no-compromise strategy on safety. Through 2022, ŠKODA AUTO India also enabled lower maintenance costs for its cars and grew from 175 touchpoints in December 2021 to 220 touchpoints as of date, with a target of 250 by the end of 2022.
INDIA 2.0 was set in motion in 2018, and a new Technology Centre was set up in 2019 in Pune, which played a huge role in the development of the MQB-A0IN platform with upto 95% localisation, on which the SLAVIA and KUSHAQ are based. These cars are already being exported to left-hand drive markets in the Gulf and will be assembled in Vietnam in 2024 with parts and components exported from ŠKODA AUTO India’s facility in Chakan. With these export and assembly operations, India has turned into an international hub for ŠKODA AUTO in the world.