Volkswagen India records its best ever production figures in 2015; With 123,456 vehicles, Pune Plant registers over 10% growth

·         Higher demand in domestic as well as export business drives the positive growth for Volkswagen India

·         Volkswagen Vento was the highest produced car in 2015 contributing close to 60% of the total production

·         Total production at the Pune Plant crosses 575,000 numbers since the start of operations in 2009

Pune, January 1, 2016: Volkswagen Pune Plant achieved its best production results since it started manufacturing cars almost seven years ago. In 2015, the German automaker rolled out 123,456 cars from the production facility in Chakan. These were 12,012 units or 10% more as compared to 2014.

Dr. Andreas Lauermann, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, said “Volkswagen Pune Plant has increased its production for the third year in a row. This has been possible because of the increased demand from both domestic and export markets.” He added further: “Unfortunately, the global emission topic slowed down our development in the second half of the year and held us back from an even better result. With the new compact sedan, we have a new car in the production pipeline which will help us in carrying the pace forward in 2016 too.”

The total production of 123,456 cars at Volkswagen Pune Plant included approximately 72,000 Volkswagen Vento cars, 38,800 Volkswagen Polo cars and 12,700 ŠKODA Rapid cars. The domestic production grew strongly with an increase of approximately 23% to approximately 54,140 units while the export production maintained its strong base with a growth of 4% to 69,300 units in 2015 as compared to 2014.

The highlights of 2015 included showcasing of ‘Made-in-India’ Volkswagen Vento at the Hannover Messe 2015 in front of the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi and Chancellor of Germany, Ms. Angela Merkel; the start of production of the new Volkswagen Vento; and the addition of important export markets such as Argentina.

Till date, Volkswagen Pune Plant has rolled out over 575,000 cars since the start of production in March 2009. “The credit for this success of Volkswagen India goes to all of our employees. They have been working hard day by day to ensure that highest quality cars are produced at our plant for India as well as for over 35 export markets across four continents. The results of 2015 are a proof of the high capability of the workforce at our plant”, said Dr. Andreas Lauermann. 

About Volkswagen Group India: The Volkswagen Group is represented by five passenger car brands in India: Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, ŠKODA, and Volkswagen. The Volkswagen Group has been present in India for the last 14 years and began its India journey with the entry of the ŠKODA brand in 2001. The Audi brand and Volkswagen brand entered India in 2007, while Porsche brand and Lamborghini brand followed in 2012. Each brand has its own character and operates as an independent entity in the market. Volkswagen Group India has over 25 models in India, over 240 dealerships and is operating two plants – Pune and Aurangabad. The Pune Plant has a manufacturing capacity of 130,000 cars per year (in current two-shift system) and is currently manufacturing Volkswagen Polo and Vento and ŠKODA Rapid. The Aurangabad Plant assembles various premium and luxury models of Audi, ŠKODA and Volkswagen sold in India and has an annual capacity of approximately 89,000. Volkswagen Group India is a part of Volkswagen AG, which is globally represented by 12 brands - Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scania, SEAT, ŠKODA, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, MAN and Volkswagen Passenger Cars.