Volkswagen India has started pre-series production of its most anticipated mid-segment model, the new Polo at its Pune plant. The new Minister for Economics, Labour and Transportation of the German Federal State of Lower Saxony, Dr. Philipp Rösler, visited the plant at Chakan in Maharashtra to give the go ahead for the first welded body of the car.
In the presence of Minister Dr. Rösler who is also Member of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, and the German Consul General, Walter Stechel, the first finished body of the Polo on the way to the paint shop was given its first sanction. This production is a pre-run to the official production of the Polo that will begin at the plant by the end of this year.
For Volkswagen the recent inauguration of the Pune plant on 31st March, 2009 was a major stepping stone towards achieving its ambitious growth targets on the Indian subcontinent. The Pune plant will begin building the Skoda Fabia compact car in May 2009. Production of a hatchback version of the Volkswagen Polo specially developed for the Indian market will be added from 2010. With a total financial commitment in India amounting to 580 million euros (3,800 crore INR), the Pune plant represents the largest investment to date by a German company in the country. The facility has a maximum annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles destined for delivery to the Indian market.