MUMBAI: Skoda Auto is gearing up to debut its electric vehicle (EV) in India in 2028, CEO Klaus Zellmer said in an interview here on Tuesday.The company is looking to step up growth in the market where it has failed to break into the top three brands in terms of sales volumes despite operating for over two decades. Zellmer didn’t mention which model they will launch but sources said the company is evaluating electric SUV Peaq (as a CBU).The share of EV cars in India could touch 15-20% by the end of the decade, Zellmer added, lauding govt’s efforts aimed at reducing CO2 footprint even as he flagged concerns about the potential impact of the E20 fuel mandate on older generations of cars.“If I look at E20, our current cars are not a challenge but the older generation of cars then having to cope with a new way of firing them up is the bigger challenge. But as long as the govt gives us enough leeway and enough lead time to technically execute, we are in the position to have all the resources from a global group point of view to cope with those challenges,” Zellmer said.The EV move also comes as talks to form a joint venture with a local partner here gains pace. The Czech Republic-based carmaker from the house of Volkswagen Group is in negotiations to finalise a deal with JSW Group as part of which the Sajjan-Jindal led conglomerate could make an investment in Skoda Auto’s India unit and hold a majority stake in the JV, it is understood.Zellmer said that Skoda requires a new ‘business model’ in India to shore up its growth and expects that the launch of an EV here will place the country among its top three markets globally.“We are looking for a potential partner to form a JV with a strong local entity. We have been discussing it for a quite long time. We have discussed that with a couple of different industry players…..this is getting married and we have to choose carefully because this is something for the long-run,” Zellmer said without disclosing the specifics.Teaming up with a local partner would help the company make more investments in the world’s third largest auto market, ramp up its play and localisation efforts here.“The real growth potential comes up from fully localising,” Zellmer said.Export push, however, will be a big part of the JV deal as well, potentially expanding the scope of exports to new markets such as Europe, the CEO said. Besides, the India-EU FTA will only bolster the strategy.“EU FTA will reduce trade barriers. What we see geopolitically globally at the moment, seems to be the opposite,” Zellmer said.India-made Skoda cars are currently exported to the Middle East, Vietnam and Mexico markets.India is the ‘new’ China for Skoda, Zellmer said, hoping to close the year with a record sales of 80,000 units as scores of new young and affluent buyers spend on its cars.Skoda has stopped selling new cars in China. GST cuts have boosted sales, helping offset the volatility stemming from the West Asia war, Zellemer said.
