Volkswagen is planning to localise the production of its 2.0 litre diesel engine, which powers its numerous cars including Skoda Octavia and Audi A3 sold in India. The decision came at a time when the German carmaker localised the making of their 1.5-litre diesel powerhouse last year, now assembled at its Chakan plant, Pune. The 2.0 litre mill complies with BS-VI norms, which are yet to be implemented in India. This means, the carmaker has nothing to worry about, especially when it comes to upgradation of emission norms followed in India. The government plans to skip BS-V standards and directly jump on to BS-VI by 2020.
The huge investment required in this venture looks justified, keeping in mind the growing sales of cars in this segment. Localisation will be beneficial for the automaker as it will speed up the manufacturing process and spare part supply. Also known as EA288, the mill will be employed in Volkswagen’s upcoming cars like new-gen Audi A4 and new Skoda Superb. The MQB platform mostly runs on EA288 engines and future models are also likely to use the same.
Volkswagen has been creating a buzz by releasing teasers for its to-be-launched car Ameo. The car is likely to make its way to the 2016 Auto Expo. It is also expected to be powered by two 4-cylinder 1.5-liter mills as offered in Vento and Polo viz. 90PS and 105 PS variants. Also Read: VW India Teases Ameo Again!
Source : CarDekho
