VW and Skoda Announce Merger, to be Called Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited

The Skoda Auto led Volkswagen Group India, having secured the prerequisite regulatory and statutory approvals, announced the transformative merger of its three passenger car subsidiaries - Volkswagen India Private Limited (VWIPL), Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited (NSC) and Skoda Auto India Private Limited (SAIPL). The merged entity will be referred to as ‘Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited’ (SAVWIPL). The entity will be led by Gurpratap Boparai, who will assume the role of its Managing Director. The company will be headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra, operate two production facilities in Pune and Aurangabad and have regional offices in Mumbai, New Delhi, and other locations across the country. The integration will make more efficient use of the existing synergies in this important growth market.

Bernhard Maier, Skoda Auto CEO, explains: “The operational launch of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited marks an important milestone in the INDIA 2.0 project. This merger creates one of the key prerequisites for working together more efficiently at all levels and achieving our long-term goal: to gain significant market shares for Volkswagen and ŠKODA by 2025. We will now proceed in a series of quick steps: As early as next year, we will be presenting a specific outlook for our INDIA 2.0 model portfolio at the Auto Expo in Delhi.”

Gurpratap Boparai, Managing Director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt. Ltd., adds: “With this merger, we plan to combine the technology and management expertise of our team in India and realize our true potential in a challenging, competitive environment. We want to further strengthen our presence in India, ensure the professional development of our employees and safeguard sustainable profitability for our dealers.”

In July 2018, the Volkswagen Group announced investments of around one billion euros as part of the ‘INDIA 2.0’ project. In January 2019, a new technology centre was opened in Pune, India, where vehicles will be developed based on the localized MQB-A0-IN subcompact platform, tailored to the wishes and requirements of local customers. The first step in the model campaign will involve Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited launching a mid-size SUV model that will be available from both ŠKODA and Volkswagen. The company will be presenting the studies at the Auto Expo 2020, which is held in New Delhi from 6 to 9 February 2020.