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Skoda Auto is betting big on the India market. The company is targeting a five-fold jump in car sales by 2025.
Zac Hollis, Director – Sales, Service and Marketing, Skoda Auto India, said on Friday that India is the market for the automotive industry in the coming years.
Positive outlook
“Though the first four months of the current year have not been good, as the market registered a 4 per cent drop in sales, we are positive that the market will pick up with the onset of the festival season,” Hollis said on the sidelines of an event organised to announce the inauguration of Skoda Auto’s largest workshop facility in India at Coimbatore.
“The market may not pick up to the same level as in 2018, but we are hopeful of selling more cars,” he said.
Skoda cars sales grew from 13,022 in 2016 to 17,244 in 2018. “With the launch of a premium car KodiaQ in 2020 and roll out of an SUV and sedan model (India 2.0) the following year, we expect a huge leap in sales. We expect to reach a sales target of 60,000 cars in 2022 and the one lakh mark in 2025,” said Hollis.
Expansion plans
To keep pace with its growth plan, Skoda plans to more than double the size of its dealership network from 63 to 138 in three years, and expand its presence from 54 cities now to 100.
The company has invested around ₹8,000 crore to up its production, engineering, design and marketing in India.
“We are examining the right product strategy for India, and in localising the processes, we foresee huge growth opportunity here,” he added.
On phasing out diesel cars, he maintained that the company was analysing all plans, but no concrete decision has been taken yet. On rollout of electric vehicles, Hollis said, “We already have e-cars in Europe. The launch of such cars will happen in India as soon as the infrastructure is ready here.”
Hollis earlier inaugurated the company’s largest workshop facility in the country at Sowripalayam in Coimbatore in association with SGA Cars. The service outlet sprawls over 49,500 sq ft, is equipped with 50 bays and capacity to serve 20,000 Skoda vehicles a year.
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