Czech Republic’s leading automobile company Skoda Auto India says that it wants to export its electric vehicles made in India across the world. The automobile company, which recently tasted the success of its compact SUV Kylac, has said that it will manufacture its electric vehicle in Chakan for the Indian and export markets. A senior company official said that there will be no hindrance in this due to the current uncertainty regarding duty or the Electric Vehicle (EV) policy of the Central Government.
Speaking to Business Standard, Petr Jeneba, brand director, Skoda Auto India, said, “We want to expand our vehicle portfolio in the country. We are committed to investing in a new production facility (for electric vehicles) on our own. We have a 4.5 meter long EV with two sets of batteries. The platform has been decided now, but work is going on on the vehicle. This will be such a unique car that we don’t even have in Europe.
Jeneba said the EV for Europe will consist of seven cars and their prices will start at 20,000 euros. Therefore, this will be our complimentary car that will complete Skoda’s global EV portfolio. He said, ‘These cars will not only be for India but will be made in India for markets around the world. How much investment has to be made and what capacity will be there has not been decided yet and it is still in the initial stage.
Skoda is also keeping an eye on the upcoming Café-3 regulations. But Jeneba stressed that the ongoing uncertainty over tariffs and the electric vehicle policy being shaped will not impact Skoda’s decision to manufacture electric vehicles locally in Chakan and export them across the world.
The recently launched Kylac (bookings opened in December) has a waiting list of over 15,000 customers and is currently seeing 500 new bookings every month. For some variants, customers have to wait for six months. Currently there are about 10,000 cars on the roads.
One reason for the increasing demand for Skoda Auto India’s vehicles is that the company is rapidly expanding its network and by the end of March, Skoda had 280 touch points, which is expected to increase to 350 by September.
First Published – April 17, 2025 | 10:22 PM IST
