Speaking to ET, Petr Janeba, brand director, Škoda Auto India said the policy will make high-end EVs more popular in the Indian market as there will be a lot of variety to choose from.
“The Volkswagen (VW) Group is committed to invest in India, so any such policy will help in expediting the decisions. We are now in the middle of calculations. With the new policy, it looks more positive than before,” said Janeba, who joined the Indian operations in January. He did not elaborate.
His comments come at a time when Skoda Auto Volkswagen India is in the process of finalising its next phase of investment. Skoda leads the Volkswagen Group’s strategy in India. The VW Group comprises Skoda, VW, Porsche, and Audi, among other brands.
India is currently the third largest market by sales volume for Skoda. The company is targeting 5% share of the Indian passenger vehicle market by 2030-end backed by launches of multiple fossil fuel and battery electric vehicles. It currently has less than 2% share.
Last month, India announced lowering import taxes on specified volume of EVs by automakers who commit to invest at least $500 million and start domestic manufacturing within three years.The move is primarily aimed at wooing global EV makers like Tesla to invest in the country.“It’s a very smart move as there’s zero harm to the current EV players. There’s no competition coming for them. This will help provide a wider range to the customers who are going to buy cars above Rs40 lakh,” he added.
Skoda will launch 100 units of the third-generation Superb premium sedan on Wednesday. These have been imported by the company on request from customers.
Additionally, the company is preparing for the launch of its first compact SUV in 2025 by adding 100 touch points to its existing dealer network. It would be the company’s first SUV targeted at the affordable segment. Nearly 80% of the expansion will be in the tier-3 or 4 cities.
To be sure, Skoda, which has been present in India for about 24 years, has a lot riding on the yet-to-be- be-named compact SUV in its bid to transition to a mainstream brand from a niche one.
“The Kushaq (mid-size SUV) and Slavia (premium sedan) could not have represented the brand adequately in the mainstream segment, but this car can,” said Janeba. The upcoming compact SUV will be based on the MQB-A0-IN platform, which also underpins the Kushaq and the Slavia.
To increase brand awareness ahead of the launch, Skoda has kickstarted a campaign to name the car. The campaign has resulted in over 150,000 names till date, of which more than 21,000 are unique names, according to the company.