PM Modi Flags Off Alternative Fuels Rally With E20-compliant Volkswagen Taigun And Skoda Kushaq SUVs
- by Sukrit Kumar
- Feb 7, 2023
- | Views: 3095
Volkswagen Group aims to become a carbon-neutral company by 2050
The E20-compliant Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq took part in the Alternative Fuel-based Vehicles Rally in Bengaluru.
Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister (PM), flagged off the rally which is part of the India Energy Week (IEW) being held between February 6 and 8, organised by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). The IEW is the first major event to be held under India’s G20 Presidency.
"Our 'Made in India' vehicles – the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun were designed in anticipation of the changing mobility dynamics in India and are E20 compliant. We are aligned with the vision of E20 compliance as envisaged by the Government of India and committed towards decarbonized mobility. We will continue to focus towards sustainable mobility solutions, including biofuels as India advances towards its goal of leading the world toward a clean energy transition.” – Piyush Arora, Managing Director and CEO of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India (SAVWIPL).
The Taigun and Kushaq represented Skoda’s commitment to helping the government's sustainability efforts. The two SUVs are available with 1-litre TSI and 1.5-litre TSI turbo petrol engines, both of which are E20-ready, in other words, compatible with ethanol-petrol fuel blend with up to 20 per cent ethanol.
“We are happy to partner with the Indian Government in its Net Zero mission. We are excited that SKODA KUSHAQ and Volkswagen TAIGUN have participated in this landmark rally” – Christian Cahn von Seelen, Executive Director of Sales, Marketing and Digital, SAVWIPL.
Globally, VW aims to become a carbon-neutral company by 2050 under its ‘goTOzero’ environmental mission statement. In India, its Aurangabad facility has been running on “100 per cent green energy” since November 2022, and its Pune facility has a massive rooftop solar power plant that delivers nearly 30 per cent of the facility’s annual energy needs.