Volkswagen to roll out India-specific compact sedan next year

New Delhi: German car major Volkswagen AG Wednesday said it will roll out an India-specific compact sedan next year from its Pune plant and has invested Rs 720 crore in the development of the new model.

With the investment in the new compact sedan, which has been specifically designed and developed for India, Volkswagen will add a new model to its product portfolio.

The production of the compact sedan at Volkswagen's Pune plant is scheduled to commence in the first half of 2016.

"We are following a long-term investment plan in India and with our latest investment we have reaffirmed our confidence in this growing automotive market," Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd, President and Managing Director, Andreas Lauermann said in a statement.

The investment of Rs 720 crore is towards development, setting up new equipment and ramping up the production of the new compact sedan.

This is a part of the Rs 1,500 crore investment that was announced by Volkswagen India at the beginning of 2014.

"This is the second step of investment after the engine assembly plant a year ago. Additionally, we will continue to invest further in increasing our productivity and efficiency," Lauermann said.

The Pune-based plant is getting ready for the production of the new model with changes and installation of new equipment.

The world-premiere of the new sedan is scheduled at the AutoExpo in February 2016.

"With our new compact sedan, we will focus intensively on the specific requirements of our Indian customers," Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, Director, Michael Mayer said.

With the latest investment in the new compact sedan, Volkswagen has now invested around Rs 5,500 crore in India at the Pune plant since it started its operations in 2007.

Currently, about 3,200 employees are working at this manufacturing facility where the Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Vento and Skoda Rapid are being produced.

"With the ramp-up of the new model, we will add more manpower and also create more jobs at our suppliers' end," Lauermann said.