Skoda Auto Volkswagen India exports over 25,000 cars in current year so far

PTI, Oct 21, 2020, 3:59 PM IST

Mumbai: Skoda Auto Volkswagen India on Wednesday said it has exported over 25,000 cars in the current year so far and achieved the milestone of shipping out 5,00,00th domestically produced car, despite the challenging demand scenario globally.

The 5,00,000th milestone car is a left-hand-drive Vento sedan, which is part of a batch of 982 cars being shipped out to Mexico from Mumbai port, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) said in a release.

The European car major started exports of its vehicles from India in 2010 with 65 units of the India-built Volkswagen Vento for the South Africa market. Since then, the company has continued to grow incrementally to build the ‘Made in India’ presence to 61 countries across South America, Central America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the GCC countries and to the Caribbean region, said the release.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India has exported over 25,000 cars in the current year, marking a consistent export performance in spite of the challenging demand scenario around the world, the company said.

“Exports are an integral part of our strategy and achieving five lakh units is a significant milestone for the company. Cars produced at the ŠKODA AUTO Volkswagen manufacturing sites exemplify the high-quality standards we pursue globally and in India,” said Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director Gurpratap Boparai.

He added that the achievement gains more significance “as we continue to export vehicles despite the current challenges in the industry on account of COVID-19 disruptions.”

Over the next years, the company will produce cars based on the new MBQ A0 IN platform with a high degree of localisation and will continue to explore export markets for the India 2.0 products, he said.

The India 2.0 project, which entails an investment of Rs 8,000 crore, is aimed at strengthening presence in the domestic market with India-specific car models through a dedicated platform. The four new products developed for the Indian market for Skoda Auto and Volkswagen consisting of SUVs and Notchbacks will be evaluated for exports to similar markets requiring robust built and efficient cars, it said.

According to the company, the future range of products, starting from next year, is expected to have as much as up to 95 per cent local contents.