Skoda Auto Volkswagen India on Tuesday said it has appointed Piyush Arora as Managing Director with effect from March 1, 2022.
Arora succeeds Gurpratap Boparai who resigned last month. In this role, Arora will be responsible for expanding the Volkswagen Group’s business in India, including the recent INDIA 2.0 project.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Pvt Ltd (SAVWIPL) oversees the India operations of five Volkswagen Group brands – Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini.
Arora joins SAVWIPL from Mercedes-Benz India where he worked as Executive Director and Head of Operations.
“We have found a highly experienced professional to lead the India business. His task will be to advance and sustainably expand the Volkswagen Group’s business in India. I am convinced that he will succeed in this endeavour,” Skoda Auto CEO Thomas Schafer said in a statement.
The year 2022 will see important initiatives from all Volkswagen Group brands. While Skoda is gearing up to roll out the Slavia sedan, Volkswagen is looking to introduce its notchback in the domestic market.
Besides, the group is looking to commence exports of models under the INDIA 2.0 project across the globe.
“2021 has been a year of growth for SAVWIPL. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the global chip shortage, we recorded a 76 per cent growth across our five brands. I am confident that Arora’s proven leadership will help us further build on this strong momentum and continue on a sustainable growth path in 2022 and the years ahead,” SAVWIPL Chairman Christian Cahn von Seelen noted.
Boparai had joined the company in April 2018 as Managing Director of Skoda Auto India. He was entrusted with the responsibility to lead the merger of three VW Group entities namely Volkswagen India, Skoda Auto India and Volkswagen Group Sales India as the Managing Director of the merged entity SAVWIPL.
He was instrumental in leading the VW Group in its endeavour to sustainably strengthen its position in the Indian market. He successfully led the India 2.0 project, under which the Group launched two products so far – the Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun, which marked the group’s foray into the promising mid-sized SUV segment in the country.
The company’s product offensive in India continues with the Skoda Slavia scheduled for launch in early 2022 and the Volkswagen Notchback later in 2022.
