On October 7, 2019, a merger announcement created a buzz in the auto industry which was issued by Volkswagen Group India in which they notified that they are merging their three passenger car subsidiaries – the Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (VWIPL), the Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt Ltd (NSC) and Skoda Auto India Pvt Ltd (SAIPL). The entity formed after the merger has been named as Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (SAVWIPL) and will be led by Gurpratap Boparai, who has been appointed as its Managing Director.
Under the merger, passenger car groups like Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, and Lamborghini will be there and the company will have its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra. The newly formed entity will be having two production facilities that will be in Pune and Aurangabad. The company will be having its regional offices in cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, and other locations across the country.
The Managing Director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, Gurpratap Boparai, said in the official interview – “With this merger, we plan to combine the technology and management expertise of our team in India and realise 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.”
The brands that have been included in the merged entity will be able to retain their distinctive identities along with the implementation of their customer experience initiatives and also the dealer network. For the Indian Subcontinent, they will be having a shared vision and a strategy for it.
Volkswagen had earlier notified that they have invested a sum of one billion euros in the ‘India 2.0’ project. Also in July this year, the company opened a new technology centre in Pune where vehicles will be manufactured under the MQB-A0-IN subcompact platform in order to suit the requirements of the local customers.
