Volkswagen group to skip 2018 Auto Expo

Volkswagen has decided to stay away from the 2018 Auto Expo, India’s premier biennial automotive event. 

So car brands like Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda won’t be part of next year’s expo. The company cited huge investments and its returns and also the location of the event as a reason for this move. The top honcho, however, mentioned that the company would be interested to participate in 2020 version on the basis of its brand promotion strategy.

While the lack of good returns could be the reason of Volkswagen non-participation, we believe that the dieselgate is also one of the reasons. Since the emission scandal broke out, the German company has been decreasing its marketing and development spends across the world. It pulled out of the World Rally Championship late last year as well. It also looks like Volkswagen doesn’t have any new products planned for the Indian market for the next year or so. If there was, we surely would have got a glimpse of it at the expo. 

It is sad to see such a big company pulling out of an automotive event that takes place in one of the fastest growing car markets in the world. There are a few other companies that might opt out of the 2018 Auto Expo as well, however, there’s been no confirmation yet.