Volkswagen To Be Transformed Into An SUV Brand In India

volkswagen Tarek f

Volkswagen Group will be debuting a mid-size SUV likely in its production form at the 2020 Auto Expo before its debut a year later

Steffen Knapp, Director of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, a division of VW Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd, has said in a recent interview that all the upcoming new models from the brand will have SUV body type. He was quoted saying: “We will transform Volkswagen into an SUV brand in India,” while concentrating on updating the existing models.

Volkswagen Group stepped foot into the Indian market via Skoda in 2001 before the Volkswagen brand entered the volume space under its own entity six years later. However, except for some one-hit wonders, Volkswagen could not compete with the mass-market automakers but has certainly established itself as a premium car manufacturer over the years.

The German firm will be trying to build on its reputation and bring the new products into contention with a sorted strategy known as India 2.0. Under the project, Volkswagen and Skoda are eyeing long-term success with heavily localised vehicles based on the MQB A0-IN architecture.

VOLKSWAGEN T-CROSS 1

Volkswagen’s wholesales stood at 34,859 units in the last fiscal with 1 per cent market share and Knapp stated that since the trend for SUVs is luring manufacturers in, VW is stepping on the gas. He believes “SUV is the car for India more than any other country in the world”.

Despite missing out the 2018 Auto Expo, VW and Skoda will have a compelling presence at next year’s biennial event in February. Their first products based on the MQB A0-IN platform are the mid-size SUVs and they will be showcased in the near-production form alongside displaying a whole host of other models.

skoda kamiq monte carlo india bound-5

The T-Roc could also go on sale early next year and it will be brought into the country via CBU route. The compact SUVs, one based on VW T-Cross and the other on Skoda Kamiq, will enter the market in 2021 while the Skoda Karoq, next-generation Octavia and other updated models are in the pipeline for next year.

SOURCEsource