COVID19 impact: Skoda Auto announces EUR 1 million aid package
Skoda Auto has announced it will donate EUR 1 million or over Rs 8.9 crore on behalf of the Volkswagen Group to help fight the surging second wave of COVID19 in India. This aid will be disbursed both in kind as well as through financial donations.
Skoda will support the tackling of this crisis by providing medical supplies and through a monetary donation to the German Red Cross. The Czech brand will procure medical equipment such as oxygen generators and liquid oxygen tanks. Skoda's purchasing and logistics departments are working tirelessly to acquire the relief supplies at short notice and deliver them to the worst affected regions as quickly as possible, in spite of the logistical challenges wrought by the pandemic. The Indian Red Cross is expected to handle the distribution locally.
Gurpratap Boparai, MD of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL), says "The country is going through an unprecedented situation with the unexpected rise in COVID-19 cases, leading to extreme stress on the healthcare facilities in India. Skoda Auto's generous donation, both material and financial support will provide some relief to those affected."
Skoda Auto has taken the lead for the Volkswagen Group in this effort by virtue of it being positioned as the group's primary brand in the region. The brand oversees the functioning of the Skoda, Volkswagen and Audi brands in India and is present here with two manufacturing facilities in Pune and Aurangabad and through a corporate office in Mumbai. The company is on the cusp of a big product offensive for the Indian market led by two locally developed SUVs set to launch in the next few months, the Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun.
Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Skoda Auto, said of this initiative, "We are in contact with our colleagues in India every day. They know best what is most urgently needed at the moment. We are working hard to secure the appropriate relief supplies, including oxygen tanks, and transport them to India as quickly as possible. We are grateful that we can help our Indian friends on the ground this way. In these challenging circumstances, the Skoda family stands together."
Starts Rs 10.5 Lakhs
1498cc
Automatic
110
250
-NA-
Starts Rs 10.5 Lakhs
1498cc
Automatic
115
250
17.88 Kmpl
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