Volkswagen India’s production plant in Chakan has achieved an important milestone. It has surpassed the production count of 10 lakh vehicles. The model that brought the seventh digit in the plant’s lifetime production count was the sub-4 metre sedan Ameo, finished in carbon steel paint. The facility went operation on March 31, 2009. That means it took just over a decade to achieve this feat.
The Chakan plant has been the heart and soul for Volkswagen India’s mass-market products. The first car to enter the production line was the Skoda Fabia, which is no longer on sale in India. By the end of 2010, the Indian arm of the German automotive group had added three more models to Chakan’s production line – Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Rapid.
To receive the one-millionth car which rolled out of the production line, Steffen Knapp, who is the director at Volkswagen Passenger Cars India and Gurpratap Boparai, who is the MD at Volkswagen India Private Limited, were present.
Here’s what Boparai had to say about this feat and Volkswagen’s commitment to the Indian market:
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 Chakan facility was developed to cater to the Indian market initially. However, by 2012, the plant was also producing vehicles for the South African market. Volkswagen also claims that Mexico went on to become one of the most important destinations for the made-in-India cars and the Vento became the highest-selling VW in that market. The company confirms that over 4 lakh cars manufactured in the Chakan plant have reached more than 50 different markets around the globe, covering Asia, Africa, North America and South America.
Volkswagen Introduces ‘Black & White’ Editions Of Polo, Ameo And Vento
In order to revive its fortunes in India, Volkswagen Group will be investing 1 billion euros in its India 2.0 project. Apart from inaugurating a technology centre near Pune and initiating the merger of its subsidiaries in India, the company has also been introducing after-sales initiatives. By next year, we’ll have the first product launch under the project. And that product will be a Creta-sized SUV, underpinned by VW’s MQB A0 IN platform.
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