Is India set to fare better with the focus shifting to more fuel-efficient and smaller cars?
There is a global trend toward more fuel-efficient and smaller cars. We can see this everywhere. In India, this is a way of life, where people go from a small car to a hatchback, or from a basic hatchback to a premium hatchback. But, fuel efficiency and environment-friendly technologies are also becoming more important. Even in the US, there are more players with the right models, right size and right efficiency. How does Volkswagen India hope to contribute to the organisation’s global R&D? The knowledge Volkswagen gains in India will be brought into development processes. I have a development team in Pune, which looks into areas like car interiors, exteriors, electronics, chassis and so on. It is important to use the things we learn in the development process, which happens mainly in Wolfsburg, Germany. It is also important to learn the capabilities of Indian suppliers who have a very good knowledge about customer needs. So, the suppliers are also in close contact with the development
