Volkswagen India has manufactured its one-millionth car at its Chakan plant in Maharashtra, where the company has been producing cars since 2009 and has been exporting to over 50 markets worldwide.
Volkswagen is known to make some of the most well-built, safe and technologically advanced mass market cars around the world. And while they may be a fair distance away from market leadership in India, they sure are appreciated for the superior nature of their cars. Nonetheless, Volkswagen has been manufacturing cars in India at its plant in Chakan, Maharashtra since 2009 when it began production of the Skoda Fabia. And now a decade later, the German automotive major achieved a significant milestone by manufacturing its one-millionth car from the factory. The car in question is a Volkswagen Ameo that was rolled out in presence of some of the oldest employees who have been part of the production department at the plant alongside some of the company’s top management for VW India that included Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director, Volkswagen India and Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India.
Speaking on the occasion, Gurpratap Boparai, said, “Volkswagen India’s production facility is a global benchmark in quality and technological advancement in manufacturing, and it has remained the backbone of our growth narrative in India. On behalf of the entire management, I would like to congratulate the team at Volkswagen India who have worked relentlessly on achieving this milestone today.” He added, “The roll-out of the 1 millionth car is an important milestone for us in our long term commitment to the Indian market. We would like to build further on this milestone and work towards higher localization, ramping up production and manufacturing world-class products for the country and several other markets around the world in the future.”
The Volkswagen India plant began operations on the 31st of March 2009. Since then it has rolled out three Volkswagen cars that include the Polo, Ameo and Vento alongside the Skoda Rapid. The plant was initially set up for the local market but as time progressed the company has been manufacturing and exporting cars from the factory to over 50 countries across Asia, Africa, North America and South America. In fact, more than 400,000 cars manufactured at the VW India plant have been exported until now.
“The one-millionth roll-out of a Volkswagen carline is a testament of our strong brand equity in a dynamic and evolving market like India. This milestone is dedicated to all our employees, customers and strong network that have contributed significantly for the growth of our Brand in India. With this achievement, we look forward to many more such milestones and commit a stronger product portfolio and heightened customer experience in the years to come,” said, Steffen Knapp – Director, Volkswagen Passenger.
The Volkswagen Group is now focussing on its India 2.0 strategy that will see the company develop a new platform and model range for the Indian market to better tailor their cars for the Indian passenger car market that consists of some of the most demanding customer needs that requires a car to be extremely competitive and cost-effective at the same time. In order to meet the unique demand from the Indian market, the Volkswagen Group is investing 1 billion Euros (INR 8,000 crore) in its India 2.0 project and has already set up a Technology Centre at the Pune Plant to start local development.
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