Volkswagen may drive in its first electric car to India in 2025
Volkswagen may drive in its first electric car to India post 2025. The German carmaker is waiting for the EV four-wheeler space in India to grow further before bringing in its electric vehicles for Indian customers. Ashish Gupta, Brand Director at Volkswagen India, said the company may look at bringing in some imported battery electric models to begin with in the country to gauge the response in the market. He was speaking at the unveiling event of Volkswagen's new mid-size sedan Virtus on Tuesday.
"If you look at how the brand is transforming globally, we in India will also have to make a transformation to the battery electric vehicles and that is what we have to start preparing for now," Ashish Gupta was quoted by news agency PTI during an interaction.
"We already have a wide portfolio (of EVs) all over the world.. There are two parts to electrification. One is do we introduce some models into the Indian market? Yes definitely we are looking into importing and introducing some electric cars in the market just to test them out ..how do our global cars fit in the market? How is the acceptance?" Gupta added.
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He also said, "But when you talk about mass electrification, volumes, that I believe, still have a long way to go. We see it happening only in the second half of this decade after 2025-26."
Volkswagen already has a significant presence in the electric vehicle segment in global markets. It has a portfolio that offers electric cars like ID.3 and ID.4 in markets like Europe, China and US. Volkswagen ID.4 also emerged as the Car of the Year in April last year. The company is also gearing up to launch its first electric van ID.Buzz later this month.
The German carmaker had earlier said that it will wait for the right time to introduce its EVs in India. Volkswagen wants to see the EV ecosystem in the country to reach a level where launching its EVs become a more viable business option.
Also watch: 2022 Volkswagen Virtus mid-size sedan unveiled
Volkswagen may drive in its first electric car to India post 2025. The German carmaker is waiting for the EV four-wheeler space in India to grow further before bringing in its electric vehicles for Indian customers. Ashish Gupta, Brand Director at Volkswagen India, said the company may look at bringing in some imported battery electric models to begin with in the country to gauge the response in the market. He was speaking at the unveiling event of Volkswagen's new mid-size sedan Virtus on Tuesday.
"If you look at how the brand is transforming globally, we in India will also have to make a transformation to the battery electric vehicles and that is what we have to start preparing for now," Ashish Gupta was quoted by news agency PTI during an interaction.
"We already have a wide portfolio (of EVs) all over the world.. There are two parts to electrification. One is do we introduce some models into the Indian market? Yes definitely we are looking into importing and introducing some electric cars in the market just to test them out ..how do our global cars fit in the market? How is the acceptance?" Sharma added.
He also said, "But when you talk about mass electrification, volumes, that I believe, still have a long way to go. We see it happening only in the second half of this decade after 2025-26."
Volkswagen already has a significant presence in the electric vehicle segment in global markets. It has a portfolio that offers electric cars like ID.3 and ID.4 in markets like Europe, China and US. Volkswagen ID.4 also emerged as the Car of the Year in April last year. The company is also gearing up to launch its first electric van ID.Buzz later this month.
The German carmaker had earlier said that it will wait for the right time to introduce its EVs in India. Volkswagen wants to see the EV ecosystem in the country to reach a level where launching its EVs become a more viable business option.
Also watch: 2022 Volkswagen Virtus mid-size sedan unveiled
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Globally, Volkswagen is aggressively pushing for more EVs to match up with the might of Tesla. The German carmaker recently revealed its plans to set up a new manufacturing plant dedicated to electric vehicles in Germany and increase its production volume significantly at its existing Wolfsburg facility.
The new EV plant, which is likely to be finalised by this month, will come as part of Volkswagen's Trinity Project. It will see the automaker build a flagship electric sedan in Wolfsburg from 2026.
Volkswagen is keen to expand its EV business in Europe, as the continent is one of the key markets for zero-emission vehicles. Volkswagen is also planning to stop selling ICE vehicles in Europe by 2035. Hence, a dedicated electric vehicle production plant is necessary to cater to rising demand.
