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With its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra (India), the Volkswagen Group is represented by three brands in India:Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. The Volkswagen Group is completing 10 years of its India journey which began withthe entry of the Skoda brand in 2001, Audi brand and Volkswagen brand in 2007. Each brand has its owncharacter and operates as an independent entity in the market.

Volkswagen Group India is a part of Volkswagen AG, which is globally represented by 9 brands- Audi, Bentley,Bugatti, Lamborghini, Scania, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge) andVolkswagen Passenger Cars. The product range extends from low-consumption small cars to luxury class vehiclesand trucks. The Group operates 60 production plants around the world. In total more than 370,000 employeesproduce more than 26,600 vehicles or are involved in vehicle-related services each working day.

The highest volume brand of the Group is Volkswagen. Europes most successful car brand has made successfulinroads into the Indian market. Volkswagen presents itself in a variety of segments as a premium manufacturer ofhigh-volume models. As a first step, the Volkswagen brand launched the globally successful Passat in 2007. Toexpand its portfolio and cater to the mid segment, Volkswagen launched one of the brands bestselling models, theJetta, in India in July 2008. Both the sedans are being assembled locally. The iconic New Beetle and the high-endSUV Touareg were introduced in December 2009. Also available is the high-end automobile Phaeton.

EnlargeFrom December 12, 2009 the new Pune plant has started rolling-out the hatchback version of the VolkswagenPolo.The made-in-India Polo was presented to the general public for the very first time at the Auto Expo 2010. Thelaunch of this premium hatchback in March, brought access to one of the Indian passenger car segments with thehighest-volume unit sales.

Skoda entered the Indian market in 2001. Its plant in Aurangabad, which assembles a total of eight modelsincluding the Audi A6 and Audi A4 as well as the Volkswagen Passat and Volkswagen Jetta, has beeninstrumental in this achievement. For Indian customers, the name of Skoda stands for high-quality, robust yetaffordable cars in the compact, lower mid-size and mid-size ranges. In terms of models, the Skoda product offeringin India ranges from the Fabia through the Octavia, the Laura to the Superb. Skoda lifted the veil off itsinternational bestseller SUV Yeti for the first time in India at the Auto Expo 2010.

Audi offers high-end models of interest to Indian customers. With the A8 and the Q7, the A6, the A4 and notforgetting the R8, the TT and the recently introduced Q5, Audi offers top-quality, technically brilliant cars with anexclusive flair in the relevant luxury segments. Audis positioning as a leading manufacturer of such high-classvehicles, both assembled in India and imported through Audi India, will be systematically pursued in future. At AutoExpo 2010, Audi also unveiled the Audi Sportback Concept a five-door model offering a glimpse into Audi'sfuture design vocabulary.

Recognizing the importance of an extensive dealer network towards scripting a long-term success story, thebrands of the Volkswagen Group are setting up dealerships spanning the entire country with Volkswagen, Skodaand Audi having in total around 120 dealerships across the country today. They are not only laying the foundationfor a substantial increase in sales but also doing the groundwork for offering a first-class all-round service, takingcustomer satisfaction to the highest level. Keeping this in mind they launched their first Group Logistics Servicefacility recently that would help make their dealer network become more efficient and smoothen the entire processof service. In the period between January 2009 and December 2009, the three brands of the Volkswagen Grouphave together sold around 19,000 vehicles in India, an increase of 1.4% over 2008 in a year marked by recessionin the auto industry.

A crucial element of the Volkswagens strategy is to establish a long-term presence in India is the Groupsproduction facility near Pune in the Chakan Industrial Park. The investment with a total sum of around INR 3,800crore (580 million Euros) is the biggest investment of a German company realized in India so far. The plant, one ofthe most modern in the Volkswagen Group has a high level of vertical integration not least attributable to the highshare of local suppliers. The recruitment is of some 2,500 employees at the end of 2010, primarily from the regionitself. With the investment, the vertical integration of suppliers and the employment of people Volkswagen will thus

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demonstrate its commitment to the new site. Simultaneously Volkswagen contributes to a positive development ofthe economy of the region and of Maharashtra at the same time.

The new plant was inaugurated by The Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, His Excellency Shri. S. C. Jamir,and Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft withresponsibility for Group Production end of March 2009 and has begun building the Skoda Fabia compact car inMay 2009. The launch of Polo, the hatchback car, is a visible testimony to Volkswagens vision of Mobility - Madein India. By mid of 2010 the hatchback version will be followed by a sedan, also based on the new generation ofthe Polo but entirely different to the hatch.

In recognition of its efforts in India, Volkswagen India won the coveted Automotive Company of the Year 2010award at the Inaugural Golden Steering Wheel Awards India presented by the leading automotive magazine, AutoBild India

A brief journey through a long history

When in 1937 the company known as "Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH" wasfounded, no one could have guessed that it would one day be Europe's largest carmaker. The history of thecompany - with all its trials and tribulations - is first and foremost a story of impressive success.

Enlarge1937-1945On May 28th, 1937 the "Gesellschaft zur Vorbereitung des Deutschen Volkswagens mbH" company is founded,and on September 16th, 1938 it is renamed "Volkswagenwerk GmbH". In early 1938, in what is today Wolfsburg,work begins on construction of the Volkswagenwerk plant which is to house production of the new vehicledesigned by Ferdinand Porsche.

During the Second World War Volkswagenwerk's production is switched to armaments. Some 20,000 forcedlabourers, prisoners of war, and later also concentration camp prisoners, work at the plant.

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In September 1998, in recognition of the events of that time, VOLKSWAGEN AG established a humanitarian fundon behalf of the forced labourers compelled to work at Volkswagen during the Second World War. By the end of2001 more than 2,050 people in 26 countries had received humanitarian aid from the fund. Furthermore, aMemorial in remembrance of the forced labour employed at the Volkswagenwerk plant is currently beingestablished at Wolfsburg, involving contributions from present-day Volkswagen apprentices.

Enlarge1945-1949After the end of the Second World War, in mid June 1945, responsibility for Volkswagenwerk is placed in thehands of the British Military Government. Under the management of Major Ivan Hirst, mass production of theVolkswagen Beetle is started.

Enlarge1949-1960On March 8th, 1950 the Type 2 goes into production, expanding the company's product range. The VolkswagenBus, still today known to many as the "VW Bully", soon creates rising demand thanks to its multifunctionalcapabilities. In 1956 a separate manufacturing base for the Transporter is established in Hanover, at the sametime setting down the roots of today's Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand.

Enlarge1960-1980On February 17th, 1972 Volkswagen breaks the world car production record: with 15,007,034 units assembled, theBeetle surpasses the legendary mark achieved by the Ford Motor Company's Model T, popularly known as the"Tin Lizzy", between 1908 and 1927.

In 1973 the Passat is the first model of the new generation of Volkswagen vehicles to go into production - withfront-wheel drive, a water-cooled four-cylinder engine and a range of engines up to 110 bhp. The Passat is built inline with the modular strategy, by which standardised components usable in a range of different models providesignificant rationalisation.In January 1974 the first Golf is built at the Wolfsburg plant. The compact saloon quickly becomes a hit, andadvances to become the legitimate heir to the legendary Beetle. The same year also sees the launch of the sportyScirocco, which was to continue in production until 1981.

In 1976 the first Golf GTI rolls off the production line. The car, with its110 bhp engine, creates a real furore on theroads - and lays the foundations for the birth of a legend.

Enlarge

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1980-1990In June 1983 production of the second-generation Golf begins. The car is designed for a largely automatedassembly process, and in the specially erected final assembly hall, designated Hall 54, robots are deployed for thefirst time in vehicle manufacture.

Enlarge1990-2000With the production launch of the Lupo 3L TDI, the first production car to offer fuel consumption of just three litresper 100 kilometres, in July 1999, Volkswagen once again makes automotive history.

Enlarge2000-2003In August 2002, at Volkswagen Slovakia, a.s. in Bratislava, mass production of the Touareg, a luxury-class off-roadvehicle, is started, marking the Volkswagen brand's move into an entirely new market segment.

In December 2002 the "Auto 5000 GmbH" company, operating a plant at the Group's site in Wolfsburg, startsproduction of the Touran compact van. A special collective pay model has been developed, aimed at implementinglean production and involving flat hierarchies, team working, flexible working hours and the deployment of moreprocess expertise by the workforce.

In 2003 production of the fifth-generation Golf is started, embodying a new dynamism in its design andengineering.

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