Piyush Arora has been appointed the new Managing Director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India effective March 1, 2022. He succeeds Gurpratap Boparai and will be responsible for expanding the Volkswagen Group’s business in India, including the India 2.0 project of the brands Volkswagen and Skoda. 

Skoda Auto Volkswagen India oversees the India operations of five Volkswagen Group brands – Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche and Lamborghini.

Thomas Schafer, CEO of Skoda Auto, said, “I would like to thank Gurpratap Boparai for his outstanding performance as Managing Director of Skoda Auto Volkswagen India. At the same time, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Piyush Arora. I am delighted that we have found a highly experienced professional to lead the India business. His task will be to advance and sustainably expand the Volkswagen Group’s business in India. I am convinced that he will succeed in this endeavour and wish him every success.”

Volkswagen and Skoda will finalise the rollout of the India 2.0 project in 2022 with the Skoda Slavia and the Notchback from Volkswagen, including commencing exports of the India 2.0 vehicles across the globe.

Christian Cahn von Seelen, Chairman, SAVWIPL, added that, “Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the global chip shortage, we recorded a 76 percent growth across our five brands. I am confident that Piyush Arora’s proven leadership will help us further build on this strong momentum and continue on a sustainable growth path in 2022 and the years ahead.”

Piyush Arora has more than 30 years in the automotive industry. He began his career at Tata Motors and later joined Mercedes-Benz India, where he held several senior positions including Supervisory Board positions at Mercedes-Benz Indonesia and Mercedes-Benz Vietnam, while overseeing their operations. Most recently, he oversaw the operations business for Mercedes-Benz India as its Executive Director and Head of Operations. 

An alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, Arora also obtained International Business Diploma from Symbiosis International University in Pune.