Volkswagen India is going to enter phase two of local assembly operations at its Chakan plant in Pune by expanding the localisation of its 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine.
Volkswagen will soon be entering the second phase of its Indian engine localisation plan and the company’s corporate purchase department is currently planning to select more local suppliers for the same. These local suppliers will be sourcing 15 important components for developing the 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine.
In the initial phase (first phase) of the localisation process, Volkswagen went on to source 25 different high-value components including connecting rods, flywheels, a turbocharger, vacuum lines, engine brackets, oil sumps and the others from 18 separate local suppliers. These 18 suppliers were shortlisted and finalized by Volkswagen India from a group of almost 35 different parts suppliers in the bidding process.
Few of the suppliers that are currently supplying engine parts to the company in India are Bangalore-based Sansera Engineering, Rane Engine Valves, Honeywell Turbo Technologies India and the Mahabal Group. The 1.5-litre diesel engine in question here is found on three cars that are manufactured at the Pune plant including the Polo hatchback, Vento sedan and also the Skoda Rapid sedan. The engine is available in two different states of tune, one producing 88 BHP and the other producing 103 BHP.
Volkswagen India has been trying to increase profits in the operational department of its engine development units at its Chakan and Aurangabad plants for some time now. For this, the company has gone on and invested €30 million (about Rs. 240 crores) for building up the new engine’s assembly plant at the Chakan factory. This assembly plant is spread across an area of about 3450 square metres.
Source – AutocarIndia.com