Skoda to localise components of all variants in 2 yrs

Skoda India, a subsidiary of SkodaAuto a.S Czech Republic and a part of Volkswagen Group, today said that the company will localise the components of all Skoda variants in the next two-years, while keeping the quality intact.

"We are in the process of using localised components for our cars. Earlier, we used just 15 per cent of local components whereas now it has increased to 40 per cent," SkodaAuto India Sales & Marketing Director Thomas Kuehl told reporters here on the sidelines of the launching of its new Fabia.

"By 2011-end, the new Skoda variant will come out with 70 per cent local components and by 2012 we will bring out our cars with full local components, of course with no compromise on quality," he said.

Following the company's decision to phase-out its flagship model Octavia, Skoda will launch a new sedan in 2011, which will be followed by another hatchback model priced below Fabia, he said.

Further intensifying the competition in the C segment, Skoda India, today launched its new Fabia with an entry level ex-showroom price of Rs 4,19,216 in Mumbai, which is close to 20 per cent less than the existing model, to Rs 6.5 lakh to its top diesel model.