Volkswagen supports empowerment of women: Mahesh Kodumudi

There are just about a few days left for the dna ICan women’s marathon. Joining hands with us this year, as the official car partner, is the German automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen. To know the reason why the brand tied-up with us for this event, we caught up with Mahesh Kodumudi, President & Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited, and Group Chief Representative of Volkswagen Group India.

What is the objective behind supporting the dna ICan women’s half marathon?
Volkswagen is a responsible corporate citizen and we identify with, and support the empowerment of women. With the ICan half marathon, dna is doing well to support education for the girl child, and for this, they have our unequivocal support. Volkswagen builds some of the safest cars on the planet and when it comes to buying cars, we believe women appreciate factors like safety, quality and refinement. We are happy to be associated with an event that supports a cause which should be
important for all women.

Which car would you like to promote through this marathon and why?
The idea for us is not to promote our cars through the women’s marathon, but to simply demonstrate that our brand supports education, and hence, empowerment of women. That said, the Polo GT TSI is one of the lead cars at the marathon. With its high levels of safety, sophisticated styling, automatic transmission and high-performance turbocharged petrol engine, the Polo GT TSI, we believe, is perfect for the discerning female car buyer.

How well does your brand resonate with women? Also, is there an ultimate female-friendly car owned by your brandthat falls in the affordable range?
Women make up as much as 20% of our customer base. I think women can easily identify with high quality, style and finesse, which is, perhaps, why women love our cars. And, while all our cars are equally suitable for women, those who want power and performance may like the Polo GT TSI, which is exhilarating to drive, safe and, because of its high-tech, dual-clutch automatic transmission, one of the easiest cars to manoeuvre in congested city traffic.

Even during this tough phase for the automotive sector, some of your vehicles are trend-setters? Your views.
In India, as elsewhere in the world, Volkswagen takes the lead with building cars that offer outstanding levels of refinement, build quality, safety and technology. We believe in getting the fundamentals right and we want to engineer quality into everything we do.

As the Indian automotive market evolves, car buyers in India are beginning to understand and appreciate our stand on what is “value for money.” which essentially entails more than simply bolting on a host of accessories to a car. It is based on features like high-performance TSI engines, dual-clutch DSG automatics, that we continue to build the Volkswagen brand in India.