Pune: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) has partnered with the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) to expand India’s automotive crash testing infrastructure, with plans to establish an advanced facility in Chakan, Pune, capable of evaluating electric vehicles and conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) models.
The collaboration was formalised through the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 30, 2026, in the presence of Union Minister of Heavy Industries and Steel H.D. Kumaraswamy, SAVWIPL Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora, ARAI Director Dr. Reji Mathai, and senior representatives from both organisations.
Under the agreement, SAVWIPL will transfer a strategically located parcel of land adjacent to its Chakan manufacturing plant to ARAI, enabling the automotive research body to develop a specialised crash testing facility. The expansion is intended to strengthen India’s domestic vehicle safety assessment capabilities as the industry prepares for increasingly sophisticated electric and conventional vehicles.
New Facility to Support EV Crash Testing and Bharat NCAP
The proposed infrastructure will increase India’s capacity to conduct crashworthiness assessments, particularly for Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), which require specialised safety evaluation procedures.
It will also support testing under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (Bharat NCAP) and facilitate assessments needed to meet international vehicle safety requirements, including those applicable to export markets.
By expanding domestic testing capabilities, the initiative is expected to reduce dependence on overseas facilities for certain evaluations while potentially shortening vehicle development and validation timelines.
The additional capacity could prove particularly important as automakers introduce more electric vehicles and emerging safety technologies into the Indian market.
After all, crash testing is one of the few areas of automotive engineering where deliberately crashing a perfectly good vehicle is considered progress.
Government Highlights Importance of Domestic Safety Infrastructure
Speaking about the partnership, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy emphasised the importance of expanding India’s research and testing ecosystem to support future mobility technologies.
“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.”
The minister’s remarks underline the government’s broader objective of strengthening India’s automotive engineering capabilities while encouraging manufacturers to develop vehicles that meet increasingly stringent safety standards.
Škoda Volkswagen Adjusts Expansion Plans to Accommodate Facility
SAVWIPL Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora said the company had modified its future expansion layout at the Chakan manufacturing complex to make land available for ARAI’s proposed facility.
“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.”
The company’s INDIA 2.0 programme has placed vehicle safety at the centre of its locally developed product strategy, with models from the programme securing five-star Global NCAP ratings for adult and child occupant protection.
The latest agreement extends that focus beyond individual vehicles by supporting testing infrastructure intended to serve the wider automotive industry.
ARAI Sees Long-Term Benefits for India’s Automotive Industry
ARAI Director Dr. Reji Mathai described the collaboration as an important development in establishing advanced automotive testing and regulatory compliance capabilities within India.
“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.”
The planned Chakan expansion comes as India’s automotive sector navigates a transition involving electrification, evolving safety regulations and growing expectations for vehicles manufactured for domestic and international markets.
Advanced testing facilities are increasingly important in this environment, particularly as manufacturers work to validate new vehicle architectures, battery technologies and occupant protection systems.
Strengthening India’s Position as an Automotive Engineering Hub
The proposed facility is expected to provide additional testing capacity for vehicle manufacturers operating in India, including those developing products for export markets.
Its proximity to SAVWIPL’s existing Chakan manufacturing plant also places the project within one of Maharashtra’s established automotive manufacturing clusters.
While the companies have not disclosed the size or value of the land parcel, the project’s investment requirements or a timeline for commissioning the facility, the MoU establishes a framework for expanding domestic crash testing capabilities.
Beyond its immediate implications for Škoda Auto Volkswagen India and ARAI, the partnership highlights the growing importance of shared automotive research infrastructure in supporting India’s mobility ambitions.
As electric vehicles become more common and safety regulations continue to evolve, India’s ability to develop, test and certify vehicles domestically will play an increasingly significant role in its competitiveness as a global automotive manufacturing and engineering centre. The planned Chakan facility represents another step towards that objective, with the ultimate benefit measured not merely in vehicles tested, but in the safety improvements those tests can deliver.
