Skoda Auto Volkswagen India, ARAI sign pact for crash test centre at Chakan in Pune

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) have signed what they described as a landmark memorandum of understanding. It aims to expand vehicle safety and testing infrastructure at Chakan in Pune.

Under the agreement, SAVWIPL will hand over land near its Chakan plant to ARAI. A state-of-the-art crash test facility for future mobility vehicles will be built on that land.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, SAVWIPL Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora, and ARAI Director Dr Reji Mathai. The new facility will speed up testing of electric vehicles, safety standards and assessments under Bharat NCAP.

Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said: "India's automotive sector is growing fast, and in this situation it is very important to expand the infrastructure for local R&D and safety testing. By building this facility at Chakan, we are helping implement the future requirements of Bharat NCAP early. This will help India tackle its road safety challenges, and also help build vehicles that meet the strict demands of the global market."

SAVWIPL Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora said: "Vehicle safety and local engineering capability are at the centre of our work. ARAI needed land for a crash test facility next to our Chakan plant, so we made the necessary changes to our future expansion plans. Our 'India 2.0' vehicles have received 5-star ratings from Global NCAP. This strategic partnership will speed up the development of safer vehicles in India and EV technology."

ARAI Director Dr Reji Mathai said: "This memorandum of understanding is a strategic milestone for India's automotive testing and safety infrastructure. Vehicle technology is changing rapidly, so the need for advanced validation and crash test capability will keep growing. This is an important step towards building a world-class system that will serve the mobility sector for many decades to come."

The project is expected to give new direction to vehicle research, local engineering and safe car development in India.