[Venkatesh]

Skoda extends service schedule on maintenance of its cars till July 31.

At SKODA India our priority is to support our customers. Warranty for Schedule Maintenance Services and SuperCare Maintenance Plans, due between April and June are extended to 31st July 2021 and roadside assistance policies, that expire between April and May, until 30th June 2021

Link

[volkman10]

ŠKODA Auto India ranked 12th, looks to expand network before crucial launches next month.

ŠKODA Auto India, with highest per unit selling price of INR 27 lakh, looks to expand its network in the next two years. Each outlet of the carmaker sells on an average 75 units compared to the overall industry average of 275. To better the situation, it is launching the entry level SUV Kushaq and the new model of Octavia in the next one month.


The plan for the end of this year is to expand to 150 sales outlets. With our Compact Service proposal we will reach 125 service centres. Getting closer to our customers is a core part of our preparation for India 2.0.




Link

[volkman10]

Skoda begins shipping Covid relief supplies to India.

In its effort to support the local fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, the Czech car manufacturer is taking responsibility as an employer in the region to support the country in response to the serious humanitarian situation. The company says it is cooperating intensively with the KOVO trade union in this context.




Thomas Schafer, CEO, Skoda Auto:

Our donation is now on its way to India. I would like to thank all those involved who have actively helped with the planning, organisation and implementation of this initiative. We are delivering medical equipment, liquid oxygen tanks and an oxygen generator to help effectively the people in need. We remain concerned about the humanitarian situation in India. Every day we exchange information with our Indian friends there and hope that the circumstances will improve soon.”

The first part of the donations in kind have already been shipped and are on their way to their destination, where the Indian Red Cross will distribute them quickly to clinics and aid organisations.

Link

[Venkatesh]

Some more help for India was dispatched from the Ostrava airport on Saturday. This is the second Skoda Help For India shipment, this time flying out a mobile oxygen generator and hundreds of oxygen tanks.









Link

[volkman10]

Skoda plans big for its 2.0 project:

- In 2020, sold 11000 cars

- In 2021, expecting to sell ~ 33000 cars ( new products)

- And in 2022, expecting to go to 66k units

There is nothing like new cars in the marketplace to drive sales. We are bringing this year four new cars in total and I am very confident that these will drive customer demand

If we talk about India 2.0, the first car is the Kushaq (SUV) which we will launch at the end of the month and start deliveries next month... At the end of this year we will bring to the market a new mid-sized sedan. It is being launched in the same the MQB-A0-IN platform as the Kushaq. It will rejuvenate the sedan segment in India

If Kushaq's pricing is not right Skoda will find it difficult to sustain and will fall flat will all its big talk!


Link

[volkman10]

ŠKODA IN 2030? MORE ELECTRIFIED, MORE DIGITAL:

ŠKODA releases its " ŠKODA Strategy 2030".

Mentions India as one of its key markets, mentions of its BEV plans and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcGRnpWdxog&t=915s

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Auto targets selling over 5000 Units per month in India by June 2022.

Zac Hollis- Brand Director, Skoda Auto India said, by a year's time we'll have the all the cars in the market- the Kodiaq Petrol BS6.



The Superb which is running very strong with 30% segment share, we'll have the Octavia which is performing very well in the market.



With the Kushaq and the new sedan launch, I am confident that we'll sell well over 5000 cars.

https://youtu.be/fPNq8gWLPA0

Source

[arunramaswamy]

5000 a month? I think Hyundai sells that many santros a month. How is Skoda and it's dealers managing to survive with such measly figures?

[volkman10]

Skoda Auto Volkswagen project 'India 2.5' takes shape, discussion on projects 3.0 and 4.0 are deliberated depending on the success of Project 2.0.

Skoda Auto Volkswagen's Made for India compact SUV ( 4 m) may hit roads by 2023.

Project discussions are in the final stages and if all goes well, the SUV under the Skoda badge which is being called as project 2.5 will hit the roads by the second half of 2023.
No VW badged CUV as of now.

The group is looking at a volume of 50,000 units per annum from the proposed sub-compact SUV.

The project is likely to be funded from the billion euro investment the group has committed to in India, thanks to savings generated by the aggressive development and localisation effort

The new vehicle would be designed in Europe, but the Indian R&D will ensure its execution with a deep localisation of over 95% in order to compete aggressively in the market

The group is looking at a volume of 50,000 units per annum from the proposed sub-compact SUV.

Link

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda Auto Volkswagen's Made for India compact SUV ( 4 m) may hit roads by 2023.

This is an absolutely vital segment to enter if VW group wants to capture 5% market share by 2025. India is expected to be at 5 Million cars per year by then and a 5% market share would mean Skoda & VW have to sell 20,000 units a month. I assume Taigun and Kushaq will only able to do 6000-7000 units together at steady state given the way they are priced. The corresponding sedans based on MQB-A0-IN coming in by year-end may be able to do another 4000-5000 units collectively, which will still leave a gap of 6000-7000 units to reach the target. This can only be addressed by entering the high-volume CSUV segment.

[Vibhav-Van]

I would be vary of this statement - "Deep localisation of over 95% in order to compete aggressively"

Didn't they claim 95% localisation with the Kushaq as well? Its pricing is pretty far from aggressive. Considering that, I doubt if they can dent the price sensitive sub-4m market.

There is a niche waiting for them though. The only driver-focused sub-4m SUV today is the Ecosport. And with Ford on a sticky wicket, this new car from Skoda could be the one catering to the enthusiasts, albeit at a slightly premium pricing.

[denny_ace]

Quite a good news for those who were disappointed by the pricing of the Kushaq. The 1.0L 3 cylinder turbo will surely offer better power-to-weight ratio in the sub-four-metre class. One can safely assume that the design will be similar to that of the new Fabia unveiled globally (heard that the upcoming Slavia sedan will also take design cues from the new Fabia). Second half of 2023 means two years from now. We will have to be on the wait-and-see mode to assume the final powertrain options since they would largely be influenced by how the EV industry plays out.

[sramanat]

Speaking of length, I think they have painted themselves into a corner now. The Kushaq is neither here, nor there type vehicle. The Kushaq may be a great car in all other parameters, no doubt, but we are talking about one objective parameter here - a 3.99m car and 4.23m car are too close to each other. The 3.99m car will enjoy tax benefits and consequently cheaper. Unlike Venue/Creta or Sonet/Seltos pairs with about 400mm between them, this pair will look more alike and the 3.99m car might end up cannibalizing the 4.23m car.

[volkman10]

VW joins Tesla in call for lower import tax on EVs in India.

The market for EVs has to be big enough for investments to come in and for that we shouldn't be placing barriers
I'm not at all saying that local manufacturing should not be encouraged , but duty of 60% and 100% is prohibitively high at this juncture
Establishing EVs is a lot of hard work. Not really having a clear roadmap and not reducing duties will slow progress towards EVs - both adoption as well as manufacturing:- MD, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India

Cutting duties on electric vehicles (EVs) even to 25% - from current levels as high as 100% - would not pose a "big threat" to domestic players, but would help to drive investment

The German carmaker is exploring EVs for India from its Volkswagen and Skoda brands, but would need to see lower import duties, stable policies on taxation and long-term incentives to take the plunge,

India taxes fully-built imported cars, including EVs, as high as 100%, but the government is discussing a proposal to slash rates to as low as 40% days after Tesla Inc's appeals for a cut.


Link

[m8002?]

I would agree here. Companies will not invest in manufacturing here till they know the market size.
So the best option is to allow imports at nil/low duty so that companies can guage the market. Then, if the volumes and infra catch up, the govt. can start adding duties and ask companies to manufacture locally.