VW are planning to set up research centre in India, following a similar start-up in China three years ago. Like the Chinese center, the Indian facility will research accident sites and develop safety features and systems optimised
for the local driving conditions.
According to Krishna Dhawan, Head of Technical Office, Skoda India, the company believes that each country has its unique driving conditions that need to be understood in order to install appropriate safety features.
VW research units evaluate various parameters before customising its cars according to country’s specific needs. They study road and traffic conditions, driving behaviour, infrastructure as well as social conditioning before deciding a vehicle’s safety complement.
At the same time, VW announce they sold more cars in China (500,000) and Brazil (315,000) than in Germany in the first 7 months of 2008.