It’s official. Skoda will take charge of the development of future Volkswagen Group cars for India. We reported about this development way back in September 2017, and the programme has just got board approval. As part of the ‘India 2.0’ project, Skoda will take over development work of the sub-compact MQB – A0 platform with a focus on the India-specific MQB A0-IN.
The announcement also re-confirms that all future VW and Skoda models designed and manufactured in India will be based on the VW Group’s MQB platform. Development for future VW and Skoda models is already underway and the Czech carmaker has also made it official that its first model based on the new MQB A0-IN platform will roll out in 2020. We can confirm that this new model will be an all-new SUV that will take on the Hyundai Creta in the Indian market. It will borrow design cues from the Vision X SUV concept shown internationally but will feature styling and dimensions suitable to Indian tastes. This new SUV will also have a Volkswagen derivative. Both models will share some body panels to keep costs in check but will have their unique brand-specific identity in the market.
Skoda is also in the process of taking over VW’s Chakan facility which will be heavily retooled along with an inclusion of a new production line to manufacture cars built on the new MQB-A0-IN platform. The new MQB-A0-IN production line will be built in parallel to the existing line that will continue to produce cars built on the older PQ25 platform, such as the Skoda Rapid, Volkswagen Vento, Ameo and Polo.
Also read:
Skoda's 'India 2.0’ project to bank heavily on localisation