Gurpratap Boparai has recently been appointed as the new Managing Director of Skoda Auto India. He has a wide experience in the Indian as well as the international automobile industry, besides having expertise in managing large manufacturing operations. Boparai will be reporting directly to Skoda Auto CEO Bernhard Maier and will be responsible for Skoda’s development in the domestic market.
According to Maier, the appointment of Boparai has happed at an opportune moment when Skoda is gearing up for consolidating its position in the Indian market. His vast knowledge of the Indian automotive scenario, Maier believes, will enable the company to implement a comprehensive expansion plan. He further added that Boparai being on board will be a facilitating factor as Skoda as a brand surges ahead in India.
In response to his appointment, Boparai expressed his excitement about his new role and said that he looks forward to working with the young and dynamic team. He also expressed his confidence with regard to Skoda’s engineering tradition, emotional designs, superior technology, attractive model range, the renewed after-sales impetus that is accompanied by strategic initiatives to build new models. These factors, he added, will elevate Skoda India to a formidable leadership position in the next years.
Skoda says that the Indian market holds immense importance in its future growth strategy. In 2017, the Czech carmaker’s sales in India rose almost by 30%. Skoda Auto India, in turn, has 70 dealerships and 70 service centres across India. Currently, the four models that are offered by Skoda for sale in the country include the Octavia, Superb and Rapid sedans, and the Kodiaq SUV. While the Rapid is manufactured in the Pune plant of the automaker, the Octavia, Superb, and Kodiaq are produced in Aurangabad.
