Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited today – exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) in Pune in the presence of Hon’ble Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, GoI, Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy; Piyush Arora, Managing Director & CEO, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India and Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI; alongside other senior leaders from both the organisations to expand automotive safety and testing infrastructure in Chakan, Pune.
Under the agreement, SAVWIPL will transfer a strategic land parcel to ARAI. The land will be utilised by ARAI to establish an advanced Crash Test Facility for future mobility vehicles including BEV and ICE models to expand domestic vehicle safety research and testing capabilities. This new infrastructure will enable a greater number of EV-specific tests to be conducted within India, including rigorous NCAP assessments required for export markets.
Shri H.D. Kumaraswamy, Hon’ble Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel, GoI, said, “Expanding local R&D and safety testing infrastructure is essential as India’s automotive sector advances. This initiative between ARAI and Škoda Auto Volkswagen India strengthens domestic testing capacity for electric vehicles and safety standards. By establishing this facility in Chakan, we are supporting the faster implementation of future Bharat NCAP requirements, helping address India-specific road safety challenges. It will also strengthen the capabilities of OEMs in India to develop vehicles that meet stringent export market requirements.”
Located next to Škoda Auto Volkswagen India’s Chakan car manufacturing facility, the expanded ARAI facility will add testing capacity to support faster development and validation of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) and emerging vehicle safety technologies.
Piyush Arora, Managing Director & CEO, Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited, said, “Vehicle safety and local engineering capability are central to our operations in India. When ARAI required land for a specialised crash test facility adjacent to our Chakan plant, we adjusted our future expansion layout to support their request. As the company whose INDIA 2.0 vehicles were the first India-made cars to achieve 5-star Global NCAP ratings for both Adult and Child Occupant Protection, we have always believed that raising safety standards benefits the entire industry. This strategic partnership will help accelerate the development of safer vehicles in India by shortening EV development timelines, strengthening Bharat NCAP testing, and expanding the country’s overall automotive engineering capabilities.”
Dr. Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI, said: “The future of mobility will be defined not only by innovation but also by the strength of the ecosystem that enables safe, sustainable, and globally competitive vehicle development. This MoU represents a strategic milestone in India’s automotive testing and safety infrastructure. As vehicle technologies evolve rapidly, the need for advanced validation, crashworthiness assessment, and regulatory compliance capabilities will continue to grow. We view this partnership as an important step towards building world-class capabilities that will serve the mobility sector for decades to come.”
