Volkswagen India Private Limited is a part of the German multinational Volkswagen Group and is involved in manufacturing, assembling and distribution of vehicles. Volkswagen India was established in the year 2007 and has a production facility at Chakan, Maharashtra. The plant manufactures around 130000 vehicles per annum and is also shared by Skoda Auto India Private Limited for assembling its two models, Skoda Fabia and Skoda Rapid. In a span of six years, Volkswagen has managed to build a strong network with over 122 dealerships, in 113 cities across 18 states and 2 union territories of India.
The firm dates back to 1937, when it was known as 'Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH'. Since then, it has been churning out world class four-wheelers all across the globe. The Volkswagen plant in Chakan spreads over a total area of over 2.3 million square metres with structures covering about 115000 square metres. It engages around 3500 people and is considered as one of the most modern plants of the Volkswagen Group. An investment of Rs. 3800 crore was made into the construction of this plant and the time span for its completion came round to a surprising figure of 17 months. It was officially inaugurated by the Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, His Excellency Shri. S. C. Jamir and Prof. Jochem Heizmann in the year 2009. The Volkswagen plant is available for everyone's visit so that people get to know information related to German engineering and the technology applied in the manufacture of such premium cars.
The Volkswagen Group is represented by many brands in India, such as Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini. It sells off some of the best models of the firm such as Polo, Polo GT TSI, Polo GT TDI, Cross Polo, Vento, Vento TSI, Jetta, New Beetle, Passat, New Touareg and New Phaeton. The auto-major brought its immensely popular models in the global market, the New Beetle and the high-end Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) Touareg, in India. Later on, Volkswagen Polo, Vento and Phaeton were introduced that were as well received in the domestic market as in the global market. Volkswagen Passat came out in March 2011 and was advertised as an eco-friendly car implemented with BlueMotion Technologies. The firm follows the 'Think Blue' philosophy that aims at producing eco-friendly cars and saving the environment. As per this initiative, it develops smarter, more fuel efficient and environment-friendly four wheelers.
August 2011 saw the launch of Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Jetta TSI and later on in 2012, the new generation of Touareg was introduced in India. The recently released Polo GT TSI saw a vibrant launch and a positive response from customers. It comes an industry-first 7-speed DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) transmission and delivers a fuel economy of 17.2 kmpl. The TSI engine of the firm registered for itself the title of 'International Engine of the Year' award for the 8th time in a row.
