The 1.5L TDI engine powers all cars manufactured at the Chakan plant.
VW India is working on increasing the level of localization of its 1.5-liter four-cylinder TDI engine. This engine, which made its debut on the Polo facelift in India back in July 2014, is manufactured at VW India's engine assembly plant in Chakan, Pune, with 25 "high-value" engine components sourced locally from 18 suppliers.
Under Phase-2 of its localization plan, the German car maker aims to source a further 15 parts from local vendors, Hans-Georg Festing, executive director, corporate purchase, VW India, told Autocar Pro.
One of the many reasons for increasing localization is to protect the company from unfavorable exchange rates while importing components. The increase in local content is also part of VW India's long-term strategy to achieve operational profit.
The Chakan plant produces three models - VW Polo, VW Vento and Skoda Rapid - and all three cars use the 1.5-liter TDI engine. On the Polo, it comes in states of 90 PS and 105 PS, while on the Vento and Rapid, only the 105 PS tune is offered.
The diesel engine is paired to a 5-speed manual transmission, or a 7-speed DSG in case of the Vento and Rapid.
Also read: 2015 VW Vento (facelift) to launch on June 23
Over 40 percent of the cars made at the VW India plant for the domestic market are fitted with the 1.5-liter TDI engine.
[Source - AutocarPro]
