Skoda takes responsibility for development of Volkswagen's low-cost small car platform in India
In a major development, Skoda Auto will take charge of the development of the Volkswagen group in India. Around one and a half years ago, Škoda Auto was tasked with developing a sustainable model campaign for the ŠKODA and Volkswagen brands in the Indian volume segments. This plan has now been approved by the group's global board of management and supervision.
As a first step towards this 'India 2.0' plan, Skoda auto is taking over the development of the small car MQB A0 platform. Technical development will predominantly take place in India, with a primary focus on India. The Indian version of this platform will be called MQB-A0-IN and meets stricter regulations coming into force in a few years. The first car on this platform will be a Skoda model and will launch in 2020.
Volkswagen's MQB platform incorporates standardised components, dimensions and production processes, lowering costs and reducing production times. Furthermore, the MQB increases flexibility when developing new vehicles.
The platform being developed is a more cost-effective iteration of this architecture already seen on cars like the Skoda Octavia, VW Tiguan and Audi A3 in India.
The aim of this plan is to increase the presence of the Volkswagen group in India. The firm has been present in India since 2001 through the Skoda brand but has been unable to crack the lucrative volume segments of the Indian market. One of the reasons has been the high pricing of their products and high maintenance costs. This development try to will address that issue.