[nishsingh]

the proposed merger intends to combine the technical and managerial expertise of the three companies and is expected to increase efficiency and promote coordinated and faster decision-making..

The only thing I can make of this is that the VW Group is on a cost-cutting mission in India. The rest all is just fancy management jargon.

[gopalnt]

Between SKODA and VW, one of them should be targeting sub-15 Lakh cars and the other the higher-priced or premium ones. This will save a lot of money for them and also help customers to decide whom to choose when. There is no point in having both Vento-Rapid or Tiguan-Komiq.

[nickatnite]

Mr.Boparai's recently held position was CEO of FIAT India Automobiles Limited. I do wish him well in his newly appointed position at VW.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by abhi7013

I don't think that will happen and neither should it. It clearly says they will retain their identity, service networks and customer programs as is. There won't be any data exchange at this level and hence i believe, to the layman, this merger would pretty much go unnoticed.

But why not? From a customer perspective it offers more service options and because both brands have similar brand values and perception, no one is going to feel shortchanged. Its not like Audi and Skoda are being serviced together where the premium customer might feel let down.

And it could benefit VW and Skoda immensely! Sales can go up! For example, even in a city like Bangalore, there are probably just 3 or 4 Skoda service centres and that is a big factor for potential buyers! If VW and Skoda can be serviced at the same places, number of service centres could go up and thats better for the customer.

And lastly its almost confirmed that all VW and Skoda products are based on the MQB AO platform, so there are enough synergies on the floor.

[TusharK]

VW & Skoda to merge and form Skoda Auto VW India Pvt Ltd

Three companies that are part of the Volkswagen Group are set to merge into a single entity on September 21, 2019. These include Volkswagen India Private Limited, Volkswagen Group Sales India Private Limited and Skoda Auto India Private Limited. The merged company will be called Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited.



The merger, which is part of the India 2.0 project was approved by the boards of the three companies back in April 2019 and was pending regulatory and statutory approval. The intention behind it was to combine the technical and managerial expertise of the three companies. The company also hopes to increase efficiency.

The merger is also said to mark the beginning of the Indian 2.0 project.

Link to Team-BHP News

[simeonovitch]

So the polo, vento and ameo facelift (if we can call it that) is just stock clearance.
Don't know how to react to that, TBH.

[Mad Max]

I'm sorry... I fell asleep there for a moment.

While I love their cars and can vouch for their vehicle quality, good lord, they need to update their range and think more realistic pricing. This India 2.0 project has been in the works for so many years, they need a new version control (2.000001 and so on).

[Reinhard]

Ironically for a German group company, their strategies are having a remarkable resemblance to those of Adolf Hitler during his last days in the Fuhrer-bunker in Berlin. Moving around non existent manpower, resources, divisions & armour to repell the onslaught and achieve a miraculous breakthrough.

[TorqueKnight]

So there won't be any re-badge engineering of cars between the two?. So Rapid and Vento can become 'Ranto'?

Jokes apart, they should have followed the approach much earlier. Instead of understanding the market and establish the brand they created a sibling rivalry (not in sales but in wasting energy) but they realized the mistake later. Though none of their models were blockbusters their merger would channelize their resource and focus. Now I am more interested in their 2.0 plan.

They need right products and right price but all before that they need to fix their 'After Sales & Service' which still remains a gamble for the customers.

[fazayal]

Originally Posted by simeonovitch

So the polo, vento and ameo facelift (if we can call it that) is just stock clearance.
Don't know how to react to that, TBH.

What I understand is that the companies are merging, they are not stopping VW brand. So most likely same management and maybe same dealer would sell and service cars of both the brands.

[motorworks]

In all likelihood we may have showrooms selling both the brands! By 2020-21, I think the current Polo, Vento and Rapid may get phased out and they may not have replacements. And we may have just 2-3 SUVs between both Skoda and VW like the Kamiq, T-Cross and the Karoq. So I see the possibility of some smaller dealers and showrooms getting consolidated, where they display the entry and mid segment models and probably few flagship brand showrooms where each brand showcases all of their cars including the premium ones such as the superb and Kodiaq etc.

[srishiva]

They are trying to save IPL ? SAVWIPL. If they use same showrooms, they cant have rebadged cars. So we will get unique cars for segments. I dont see anything that VW adds to the group here. Skodas are feature rich and better priced than the VW counterparts.

All they need is to improve the Skoda ASS. Instead they are trying all other sorts of mix and match and wasting time.

[baskar]

What is in it for their dwindling customer base? That is not even mentioned in their press release. Combined service centers/branding??

Unless they improve their after sales support, not much is going to happen. They can have India 2.0, 3.0 and so on but there would be no real progress. I own both a VW and Hyundai. My service visits to Hyundai is always a pleasure - courteous staff, clean service areas, comfortable seating & amenities and most importantly - right price for the service & parts. The less said about VW service centers, the better.

Will watch out for developments on this merger

[octane_100]

IMHO this is a good move. This would help VW to focus their energies and rationalise costs. If they are looking at multi-brand VW outlets, that's even better since dealerships will have the incentive of increased volumes. Among all the low-volume players in India, VW seems to be the only one having a clear vision and roadmap for near future.

[vijayshouree]

These guys have come up with a rather peculiar sounding name like my parents came up with my name to satisfy the Grandparents of both sides for which I have been arguing with my parents since childhood. BTW my full name is Vijay Shouri Jagan Wadia Chebrolu .

I think VW should not have entered into this sibling rivalry game just to showcase itself as a "premium" offering. We, Indians feel that Skoda itself is premium. Within my friends, we have Vento and Rapid (mine). Even though Vento is much more premium, people still say that I have a Skoda . I hope this consolidation might fix all (or a couple of) the issues with both the brands, mainly their Service and give us Better cars.