Volkswagen’s 1.0-Litre petrol engine, which is a turbocharged unit, will be heavily localised, confirms Skoda CEO. It will be locally developed for its plans to develop models specifically for India, with heavy local content. The turbocharged engine is currently used in Polo, Skoda Fabia and Karoq.
Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre Petrol Engine is one of the most famous and sophisticated engines. It is quite fuel efficient but is not a localised engine. In an interview to Autocar, Skoda CEO confirmed that it will localize this petrol engine. It is mainly found in cars like Polo, Skoda Fabia and Karoq. Currently, Skoda uses the 1.6 Litre MPI petrol and 1.2 Litre TSI engines in most of their cars. However, these might be replaced by the new 999cc engine. The engine will henceforth come in all of Skoda’s upcoming car. Also, reports suggest that the localisation plan of 1.5 Litre TDI engine has been dropped off. The main reason is that the engine will no longer be useful after the introduction of BS-VI emission engines by 2020. The newly developed 1.0 Litre engine will help in achieving lower costs while meeting fuel efficiency and emission targets.
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At the recent Skoda’s ‘India 2.0’ project, it said that it is targeting 90% localisation with the MQB A0-IN platform, specifically for India. This platform will be used for the upcoming Volkswagen and Skoda Cars. The platform will feature in Skoda’s upcoming Creta Rival SUV in the latter half of 2020. Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre Petrol Engine belongs to the EA 211 family and is available in two 94 BHP and 115 BHP options. The petrol units will be replaced by the new one and until 2020, it will continue with the 1.5 Litre TDI diesel. After the BS-VI norms, Skoda and Volkswagen might only give petrol engines for small cars. There is a large 2.0 Litre Diesel engine, which is important for Octavia, Superb and Kodiaq, but this engine cannot go in a small car.
At the ‘India 2.0’ project, Skoda CEO also said that the company aims to grow its market share between both VW and Skoda brands to 5 per cent by 2025, up from 1.9 per cent currently. As of now, Skoda has no hatchback in its lineup and Volkswagen only has the Polo. Skoda has the Rapid and Volkswagen has the Polo as their top selling products in India.
