VW India rolled out its first production Polo on Saturday. Present at the ceremony were The Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Ashok Chavan and Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, with responsibility of ‘Group Production’.
Prof. Heizmann said, “We aim to achieve a market share of eight to ten percent in the next four to six years with the three Volkswagen Group brands; Audi, Skoda, and Volkswagen. In Europe, the Polo has become the benchmark for the small car segment. Volkswagen has received more than 130,000 orders since the new model was launched in May this year. The 2010 Polo has also been voted The Car of the Year in the COTY awards.
The factory has an annual capacity of around 110,000 cars. With a total volume of around €580 million, it is the largest investment to date by a German company in India. It is also the only plant operated by a German automaker in India that covers the entire production process – from the press shop, through body and paint shops, to assembly. Based on the current plans, this means Volkswagen will produce three different models – the Škoda Fabia since May 2009, the Polo Hatchback from now on and a saloon that will be launched in the second half of 2010. Almost 50 percent localization has already been achieved for the Polo with a target of around 80 percent within the next two to three years.
