After missing out on the Auto Expo in 2018, Volkswagen India has confirmed that it will participate in the 2020 Auto Expo which is all set to be held from February 7 2020. We've already told you about the dates of the 2020 Auto Expo but Volkswagen promises that there's a lot that it will bring to the Expo. Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said, "You will see Volkswagen at the Auto Expo in 2020. You will experience a completely different Volkswagen and that I can assure you really stay tuned to it because we will have a lot of fun on this show. Volkswagen will be seen in all its glory and we at Volkswagen are very excited about it. So it will be really different"
2020 marks the beginning of the India 2.0 strategy for the Volkswagen Group. The India 2.0 strategy will see major changes within the Volkswagen Group, and is part of the company's consolidation efforts across multiple markets. In India, the Skoda-led VW Group will introduce its first 'Made in India' and 'Made For India' offering around 2020, which will be a Hyundai Creta rivalling midsize SUV. The Skoda and VW SUV will be built on the MQB A0-IN platform, a domesticated version of the company's modular architecture. The company has also confirmed that all future model will be based o on the MQB platform. The automaker also plans to export vehicles built in India on the said platform, and is currently evaluating the feasibility.
The new VW SUV will be revealed at the 2020 Auto Expo and will be a concept model
Volkswagen will also be bringing in two new SUVs to the Indian market in 2020. There is the subcompact T-Cross, which will be based on the new MQB A0-IN platform, and is expected to arrive sometime in 2020, and also its elder sibling, the T-Roc, which come to India this year, as a CBU model. In fact, we were the first ones to tell you that the latter is coming to India in 2019 to rival the likes of Hyundai Creta, Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos and MG Hector.
Part of the strategy also includes productionising more of the small displacement TSI petrol engines in India, including the new global 1.0 3-cylinder engine that will go into the new SUV. In fact Maier believes that the car may launch as petrol only, though the final choice of fuel types will be made based on unfolding policy and market trends. The 1.0 TSI would also go into other products of course; making economies of scale kick in on a wider basis.
The India 2.0 plan also keeps future electrification in mind, something the new MQB A0 based models would also provision for. The investments will also cater to a significant ramp up of Skoda and VW's existing countrywide network. This would be crucial towards achieving the market share target for the VW Group, according to Maier. VW currently operates 121 dealerships in India, while Skoda's network is 70 strong.
