Skoda India, which is the wholly-owned local arm of the Czech carmaker and part of the Volkswagen (VW) group, has reiterated that it will go ahead with its product launch plans during calendar 2009 despite the current slowdown. Even during the downturn they confirmed that they will go ahead and will be focusing on quality which will go a long way in building customer confidence.<\/p>\n
New Superb,new Laura and yeti<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In addition Skoda plans to expand the car\u2019s line-up, which will include an affordable entry-level option to attract a larger buyer base. The company has also plans to launch the new Superb and Laura along with the Yeti sport-utility vehicle during 2009. These will be part of the Aurangabad product rollout plan.<\/p>\n New small car<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Skoda and VW will jointly develop a platform and a car below the Fabia and Polo in terms of price. This could then retail for under Rs 5 lakh, which could translate into huge volumes in this predominantly small car market. Only after these can the projected volumes of 1,10,000 cars are attained at VW\u2019s Chakan plant sometime in 2012-13 or even earlier.<\/p>\n Higher localisation for Fabia<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The company\u2019s most critical offering in the second half of 2009 is the Fabia, which will roll out of VW\u2019s integrated Chakan plant near Pune. The car is already being assembled at Skoda\u2019s Aurangabad facility but is constrained by low localization content and limited volumes. It said that after the production at Chakan plant its localization levels for the Fabia will be up to 50 per cent in three years from the present 15 per cent. The VW plant in Chakan has critical infrastructure like a paint shop, engine assembly etc in place which makes mass production of fast-moving models possible. In contrast, the Skoda facility, being an assembly operation, can focus on high-end cars like the VW Passat and Audi series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Skoda India, which is the wholly-owned local arm of the Czech carmaker and part of the Volkswagen (VW) group, has reiterated that it will go ahead with its product launch plans during calendar 2009 despite the current slowdown. Even during the downturn they confirmed that they will go ahead and will be focusing on quality … <\/p>\n