VW Skoda Darpan Newsletter - Aug 2021

DARPAN AUGUST 2021 | ISSUE 07

VOLKSWAGEN TAIGUN START OF PRODUCTION

#HustleModeOn SAFETY AT YOUR FINGER TIPS PAGE 4

STIMMUNGSBAROMETER IS BACK PAGE 6

“I AM EXCEPTIONALLY PROUD OF MY PEOPLE” PAGE 10

THE MAKING OF THE TAIGUN The Volkswagen Taigun has received an overwhelming feedback from customers, auto enthusiasts and media colleagues alike.

As production commences and bookings open, the newest entrant from Volkswagen is set to reach the Indian markets offering customers an exhilarating experience of the bold, dynamic and German engineered SUVW. The manufacturing journey of the car, however has been anything but smooth. Born in the times of a global pandemic, when the automotive world plunged into unprecedented depths, the Making of the Taigun is a story of determination, commitment and a lively Hustle!

The first challenge for Taigun surfaced during the beginning of production in Spring last year. The production of tools and moldings from China was suddenly interrupted and then came the pandemic disrupting things further.

When it was near impossible to overcome the challenges at hand, the team worked their way around these finding alternatives and solutions to every obstruction that came their way. The Production and Logistics played an integral part right from tool design input to the first cranking of the car. This was a car being built without a prototype and the priority was to ensure minimum loss of time, parts and efforts.

Small teams in each area lived within the factory premises on a weekly rotational basis.

Teams from Purchase, Quality and Pilot Hall stayed put at the factories of the suppliers to ensure parts availability and quality maintenance.

The extensive hours put in by these 5000 odd unsung heroes from each team of SAVW, ŠKODA MB and VW AG, helped the Taigun meet milestones right from Pre series to 0 Series to Start Of Production without any delay.

The Volkswagen Taigun rolled off the Production line on the 18th of August from the Chakan Facility in Pune. One of the 4 models built on the MQB A0 platform and especially designed for the Indian Market under the INDIA 2.0 Project, the Taigun is a labour of love, commitment and a happy hustle.

The figures below speak volumes of the efforts put in:

01 DARPAN August 2021

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Evo India

Autocar India

Powerdrift

KUSHAQ Media Reviews

EXPERIENCE YOUR KUSHAQ

First-of-its-kind Experience at SAVW

Product Training

THIS IS FEEDBACK FOR THE ŠKODA KUSHAQ DRIVE WHICH I PARTICIPATED ON 29TH JULY 2021.

THIS WAS FIRST OF ITS KIND EVENT IN OUR COMPANY WHERE EMPLOYEES COULD GET A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND THE NEW PRODUCT AND FEATURES ALONG WITH THE DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY THAT OUR TEAM HAS PUT IN. REGARDING THE EVENT, WE FELT LIKE A REAL KING (CUSTOMER) TAKING A TEST DRIVE. THE REGISTRATION PROCESS WAS SMOOTH, THE ARRANGEMENT AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS TAKEN WERE AS PER STANDARD. THE PRESENTATION ABOUT THE PRODUCT AND TECHNOLOGY WERE DETAILED AND INTERESTING. THE ROUTE SELECTION FOR THE DRIVE WAS DONE SMARTLY WHERE WE GOT TO TEST THE CAR IN TRAFFIC AS WELL AS ON EMPTY ROADS. THE CAR I DROVE HAD 1.5L MANUAL POWERTRAIN, I LIKED THE CAR, THE TORQUE AND THE BUILT QUALITY OF THE CAR. FEW POINTS WHICH I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT AGAIN AS I DID DURING THE CLOSING SESSION ARE: THE CLUTCH OPERATION WAS JERKY, GEAR SHIFTING WAS NOT SMOOTH AS COMPARED TO POLO 1.2 MPI THAT I DRIVE. THANK YOU FOR CREATING THE ŠKODA KUSHAQ DRIVE EVENT, THIS REALLY MEANS A LOT TO EMPLOYEES LIKE ME AS WE GOT TO UNDERSTAND OUR PRODUCT FROM A CUSTOMER’S EYE. WE COULD NOT ONLY APPRECIATE THE MARVEL WE HAVE CREATED BUT ALSO COULD GIVE FEEDBACK WHICH WAS WELL RECEIVED.

#KUSHAQ - RAKESH KHAJURIA

02 DARPAN August 2021

CREATING A FUTURE READY WORKFORCE

Employee Production Training Program at SAVW Pune

PRACTICE IS THE HARDEST PART OF LEARNING, AND TRAINING IS THE ESSENCE OF TRANSFORMATION. In line with this philosophy, the Profi Rooms at SAVW play an integral part in inducting an employee into our Production Process.

What is a Profi Room?

A training center introduced at SAVW Pune in 2009 as per Volkswagen Group standards, the Profi rooms prepare employees to reliably implement our Production System in their work. This training center forms the core of the theoretical & practical sessions which also include knowledge of safety precautions on the shop floor.

Profi Room has a three-day training program on company standards, shop processes and basic equipment handling. The training is conducted by the Group certified trainers at SAVW.

Inauguration of New Profi Rooms The new Profi Room was inaugurated by Gurpratap Boparai - Managing Director , SAVW and Mojmir Hajek - Technical Director, SAVW along with the HoDs of Planning, Production, Production Services on 28th July, 2021.

A new virtual training concept for tact process known as E Work Instruction has been developed for engine assembly and forms a part of Profi Room training. The training plan for Year 2021 across all Profi Rooms is around 1200 manpower, out of which 500 team members required for two-shift operation have completed their training in the second quarter itself.

The Management appreciated the team effort behind this Profi Room project and stressed that it should always be utilized not only for initial training but also for routine issues which are likely to come up on the shop floor. The E - Work instruction module was also widely appreciated citing such training sessions / programs as a necessary aspect for defect elimination.

Getting Future Ready The revamp of Body, Paint and Assembly Profi Rooms were undertaken as a part of Headquarter benchmarking. Infrastructure upgradation & training module update for the MQB project was completed in the first quarter of 2021.

Apart from the upgradation of existing Profi Rooms, Component shop Profi Room, inclusive of engine assembly and machine training was newly developed.

Engine assembly & Machining training is provided under one roof where key details of Product, zone wise & tact wise process, basic fundamentals, machine part handling and statistical process control station simulation are shown to the employees.

03 DARPAN August 2021

Contributed by Javid Shaikh

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SAFETY AT YOUR FINGER TIPS WeSafein App to monitor, measure, audit and review safety parameters The team at SKODA AUTO DigiLab has programmed We-Safein, a smart, workflow based employee health and safety solution App Implemented by ŠKODA AUTO DigiLab India for the Safety Department. This safety app assists plant supervisors to monitor, measure, audit and review safety parameters more efficiently. The solution is a one stop mobile based application for supervisors and contractors that helps to adapt industry best practices for safety parameters including seamless incident tracking, digital site inspection and safety observations.

The overall scope include modules which assist both supervisors and contrac tors. The App was deployed for contractors only on Android and supervisors app on both android and iOS. The main advantage of this app was to have a paperless solution with dashboard, KPI monitoring, Excel format export and email notifications and overcome Business Challenges like Tracking Issue, Propensity to errors, time consuming manual processes, separate processes for each task, etc. We-Safein has been selected for the CII award for Best Application & Uses of Digitalization & Technology for Environment, Health & Safety.

Integrated Approach

Our Approach

Work in co-invent model for bringing out fast, white labeled product by partnering with local technology partners, mature startups, innovationand mobility disruptors

Before coming up with a solution, did holistic market research, trend analysis and map business requirement along with several layers of design thinking session, persona analysis conducted

Digital Innovation

Accelerator

We perform the gap analysis in existing process and provided the best digitalised solution as per market standards

Outcome

Well familiar with outside accelerators, NSC, VWITS and integral part of SAVW, therefore quickly initiated NDA and vendor onboarding.

Product Walkthrough

04 DARPAN August 2021

Embraced Digital Shift to enhance core Business IT

Lean Approach

CII - Award - 2021 For Best Application & Uses of Digitalization & Technology for EHS

Mr. Mojmir Hajek hands over Certificates to the Winners of Industrial Safety Competition in Aurangabad

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MOUNTAINS, MIGHT & MEDITATION Mt. Kang Yatse I & II: Mountaineering Experience of A Lifetime Priyanka Chinchorkar, Technical Assistant to the Head of Logistics Region India, SAVW started scaling mountains when she was all of 16 years of age. The love for mountains had seeded in when she was exploring & climbing the forts of Sahyadri Ranges. Every journey inspired another & then an incessant passion for exploring the mountains took over.

In the first few years, Priyanka had covered high altitude Himalayan treks like Saur Kund, Beas Kund and Shirgan Tungu Base Camp before she went on to take formal training in mountaineering. .In 2019, at the completion of her training, Priyanka received the ‘Keep the Himalayas Clean Award’ from the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. As a fully trained mountaineer then, she embarked on expeditions such as Mt. Gangotri III, Mt. Spangnak Ri, Mt. Cathedral , Mt. Tulian , Mt. Kolahoi, Mt. Trishul & Mt. Kang Yatse I & II.

The Climb It took 5 days to reach Kang Yatse Base Camp. The landscape, pleasant with rare flora and fauna was a sight to behold.

The team found animals like Marmot, Blue Sheep, Pika, Fox, Yak, birds like the Chukor Partridge, Himalayan Snow Cock, trees like the popular willow, Juniper & Sea Buckthorn & plentiful flowers!

The trouble started when they reached the Base Camp on 25th July. The sky turned dark with heavy rains and snow while the entire team waited to move towards the summit. On 31st July, despite heavy storm, team leader Priyanka took a tough call to proceed to their next camp and reached Camp II on the subsequent day. The weather remained dark and wet and it went on to snow till the dark of the night. But next morning, just as the team began to lose hope, they saw the first glimmer of light as the rain came to a stop.

On 2nd August the team reached the summit of Mt Kang Yatse and unfurled the Indian tri-colour. This was victory for a team of women that had braved harsh mountain weather as well as a lethal pandemic, letting nothing come in the way of their passion.

This was also the country’s first successful expedition by an all-women’s team in more than 3 decades.

What brings her back to the mountains It is the sense of tranquility, a testing ground for the spirits and an inculcation of deep values that brings Priyanka back to the mountains every time. Looking down from the mountain peaks, the existence of her own self beside the enormity of nature has always felt like ‘a pale blue dot’, in the words of Carl Sagan.

I AM THANKFUL TO THE SHERPA, OUR SUPPORT TEAM, MY WELL WISHERS AND TO ŠKODA AUTO VOLKSWAGEN INDIA TO HAVE MOTIVATED ME & APPRECIATED MY EFFORTS THROUGH MY MOUNTAINEERING JOURNEY. I AM THANKFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR OFFERING ME THE WORK LIFE BALANCE THAT HAS ALWAYS ENSURED THAT MY WORK DOESN’T COME IN THE WAY OF MY PASSION AND VICE VERSA.

A Memory for Life In January 2020, a team of 7 women, from varying age groups and different walks of life came together to climb Mount Kang Yatse I & II and create history for the country.

In the picturesque landscapes of Ladakh, towards the end of Markha Valley in Hemis National Park stands tall the 6419m Kang Yatse I – a technically difficult peak with challenges as tough as tackling ice walls, steep scree sections, cornice, crossing crevasses & cold weather.

Its twin peak – the 6265m Kang Yatse II tests your endurance through the long summit push of 1200m (3900ft) at one go. The girls underwent rigorous training for a period of 18 months, preparing against the toughest of terrains where everything hung by a sheer thread.

05 DARPAN August 2021

Contributed by Priyanka Chinchorkar

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STIMMUNGSBAROMETER IS BACK! Dear Colleagues, The group wide survey - Stimmungsbarometer is back!

As you all know, the survey encourages honest opinion of employees and empowers each individual to induce positive changes within the company. While we are fast approaching the survey timeline, it is needless to say that we look forward to your cooperation and support.

2020 proved to be a year of benchmarking where the organization (SAVW) saw a participation rate of 99% while it achieved a satisfaction index of 86.1%. Based upon the result, more than 200 actions were implemented to accelerate improvements, both at the department and organizational level .

2021 has been a challenging year with 2nd wave of COVID, however our team has worked relentlessly towards the launch of KUSHAQ and Taigun.

On a positive note, even amidst the slowdown in the market, our sales have picked up in last 1-2 months. I take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you who cooperated and supported the business by walking an extra mile.

The survey will kick start from 4th October, 2021.

By participating in the Stimmungsbarometer, you are laying the foundation for improving the culture of the organization. Share your views by participating in the survey. Our windows are open from 04th Oct, 2021 to 01st Nov, 2021. Looking forward to your active participation and valuable inputs.

Best regards, Sarma Chillara

07 DARPAN August 2021

THE NEW ERA OF DIGITAL BRAND CAMPAIGNS WITH AUDI E-TRON Brand Audi has always been known for unique and efficient promotional strategies and Brand Building activities. The promotional campaigns have been designed with an aim of moving people from the target segment, through several different stages of consideration, having different conversations at different moments, and with different purposes in mind.

Over time, the Audi brand campaigns have spread awareness, while also forming association and affirmation, building reputation and word of mouth, intrigue and interest, desire and aspiration, and the conviction that a brand and product are right.

The launch campaign of Audi e-tron has been another exciting outreach. With the objective of reaching the premium progressive audience, this campaign was holistically present on all premium media - TV channels (English movies/news infotainment), Social media and digital media, along with a direct to customer communication channels.

“With the launch of Audi e-tron we have kick started a new era of progressive communication that delivers on the promise of the core of Audi brand – Living Progress. The highlight of this campaign was the Key Opinion Leader program that brought to life the Audi storyteller format, giving a very luxe thrust to the overall communication” - Gaurav Sinha, Head of Marketing, Audi India.

Kick starting the era of electric cars in India, Audi collaborated with some popular names from various walks of life, known for their individuality, to introduce the future of mobility.

The key opinion leaders, as we call them, became our platform to reach our customers, prospects and fans all over the country. With their charm and Audi’s elegance, they let India know what this revolution means to them.

The KOLs were very selectively chosen from fields of Design, Entertainment, Sports, Photography, and Business, who all embody Audi’s brand narrative-

#FutureIsAnAttitude Each of the key opinion leaders aesthetically described their story of progress and highlighted how Audi e-tron fits in with their vision of a sustainable future.

So while Virat Kohli established the transition to electric, Karan Johar analyzed its dual nature of style and sustainability, Kiara Advani emphasized the evolution of performance, and Gauri Khan highlighted the new age design thinking.

The other prominent names who joined us in this mission were Tahira Kashyap, Bunty Sajdeh, Ravi Shastri, Swati Bhargava, Yash Dongre, Palak Shah, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, Dabboo Ratnani, Twinkle Khanna, Kajal Agarwal and Rhea Kapoor.

Visit Audi India social media channels to see the story tellers in action.

To Know more

@audiin Contributed by Marilyn Peters

07 DARPAN August 2021

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14 ENTHUSIASTIC CYCLISTS, 260 KMS, ONE EPIC INDEPENDENCE RIDE FROM PUNE TO AURANGABAD Did you know – The first-ever ŠKODA was not a Car but a bicycle?

The ŠKODA- founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement used to share a love for cycling besides their first name. Owing to the rich cycling heritage of the ŠKODA brand, the Group still includes cycling enthusiasts who live by the Group essentials of taking responsibility for Environment and Society.

A Dream Ride Ravindra Chandan and Avinash Gosavi from the Body Shop set up a cycling club at SAVW to cover a 260-km ride from Pune to Aurangabad on 15th Aug Independence day. It was also a Sunday. The entire ride was divided in 7 sections and the team was confident of reaching the finishing line in the stipulated time. The route from Pune to Aurangabad went through an adventurous 255 km trail with the highest elevation being 1310 m.

The 14 riders on this epic ride were from a diversified age group.

The youngest one on this ride was 23 year old Varad Patil while the 58 year old Sanjay Khare – Board Member, SAVW was the senior-most colleague on this ride. The ŠKODA KUSHAQ acted as the pilot and grabbed a lot of eyeballs on the 200 odd km ride.

Learnings from the Ride While sharing their experience after the ride, the group echoed similar sentiments and stressed on the fact that leadership exists in all of us and comes to to the fore while taking a lead in things we wish to do.

The Independence ride had started without a leader at the helm, but ended with everyone stepping in and taking responsibility for various elements of the ride. Showcasing this exemplary team work, the Independence ride was the perfect way to kick-start the all-new cycling club at SAVW. P.S. : If you wish to become a part of this club, get in touch with Avinash Gosavi from Body Shop at avinash.gosavi@skoda-vw.co.in

The Grand Welcome & Exploring Aurangabad Facility The team reached Aurangabad to a warm welcome of garlands and a cake cutting ceremony. On 16th Aug, everyone explored the Aurangabad facility with a Plant Tour followed by a visit to the Oxygen Park that shelters more than 25k trees and numerous environmental initiatives.

The tour ended by planting a few saplings at the Oxygen Park.

08 DARPAN August 2021

Contributed by Ravindra Chandan

Thakarwasti Village Holding the Solar Lamps

PROJECT FIREFLY : Lighting up Lives, One at a Time The Tool Shop started in 2014 as a small office inside a container at SAVW Pune. It was defined as an extended arm of the Volkswagen Wolfsburg Tool Shop to meet the demands of the Asian markets.

Staying true to the Group Essentials, the Tool Shop has worked on several projects for Environment and Society over time.

Recently, the Tool Shop has conceptualized and produced portable Solar Powered lamps from production scraps at the plant.

The enthusiasm and creativity of the team gave birth to the Project Firefly.

20 solar lamps were created and donated to a tribal village, Thakarwasti, where Sister Lucy, Founder of MAHER NGO, runs homes for destitute women and children.

The Making of the Solar Lamps

09 DARPAN August 2021

The Solar Lamps

The solar lamps helped light up the homes at Thakarwasti where electricity hasn’t reached yet. The lamp lights have now enabled women to step out at night and children to study after sunset. The simple act has supported community life by allowing people to meet in the village square or outside their homes in the evening hours.

Like the tiny fireflies which attract our attention in the darkness of the night, Project Firefly seeks to draw our attention to environmental issues and realize our ability to bring about change with creativity and compassion for the under-served.

In the coming months, the PSW Tool Shop plans to act on other good ideas to continue contributing towards the society.

Contributed by Saurabh Sajji

“I AM EXCEPTIONALLY PROUD OF MY PEOPLE” Catch the unseen side of Mojmir Hajek - Head of Production & Logistics, SAVW as he unwinds himself during an interview with Urmimala Dutta from Group Communications

What do you like about working in India?

I really enjoy working in India and the monsoons are my favourite season here. Working in this country and handling key projects for The Group has been challenging. But I have a fantastic team of people around me who have constantly proven themselves with The Group’s swelling achievements.

Also, being responsible for the whole production and logistics has been pretty motivating for me here.

What are you most proud of, about SAVW? The knowledge, abilities, and stamina of the SAVW staff, mainly in the production and logistics department, inspires me at work every day. I am constantly fascinated by their ability to work as a team, having responsible approach to standardized/ structured task performance. Further, my team makes an effort to find reserves, analyze problems, seek new solutions and improve processes. All this helps us go forward and be innovative. It is not only about what we have to do today but what we strive to do in the future.

Our INDIA 2.0 project is aimed to drive our people towards succeeding at further projects (and not only product projects) and further accelerating and utilizing their potential and abilities. I really am proud of the achievements that we have accomplished together in the last two and half years in production and logistics and I’m certain that we will materialize the visions of both the brand and the group with maximum effort and care. I am exceptionally proud of the cooperation level and understanding we have achieved with our social partner; we are strong together and we shall be even stronger in the future.

10 DARPAN August 2021

What is the hardest decision you have ever taken?

This is indeed a very difficult question. I focus on the future, make dozens of operational and strategic decisions every day, and they somehow form the reality and future of our company and our employees Some decisions have instantaneous results, some results show in time.

Decisions are an essential part of my life. Analyzing which one was the most important, is difficult. Or maybe it is yet to come.

What do you do when you are outside office ?

Sadly, even when am physically out of office, I’m mentally still inside.

After working for over 16 hours per day, I even dream about my work sometimes. Please, do not ask me when I really had true holidays.

I do not even have a typical hobby. I have an interest in old weapons and antiques, though I love modern technology as well (my colleagues could fore sure tell). I enjoy cooking (though I am not too good at it), but I bake rather well. Living in India has inculcated me in a new religion named – Cricket. I might only be able to catch bits and pieces of the one-days or the test matches, but I’m fairly invested in whatever little I watch of the match. An interesting fact is that I have bought my first motorbike here in India and I ride within the city and sometimes on the outskirts, during the weekend.

Where do you see SAVW in 2030?

I see it as a strong Indian brand , a significant player in making India a future global leader, as trusted and esteemed global employer.

I see it a technological leader, a product leader in the regional automotive industry. I envision the Group to be an important and an accepted part of ŠKODA AUTO and VW Group. In a decade’s time, SAVW should be all set to serve as an export platform not only for south east Asia but also for other regions around the globe. This will be a platform for the future expansion of the brand.

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ENSURING ROAD WORTHINESS OF VEHICLES ON INDIAN ROADS Pankaj Gupta, Head - External Affairs and CSR Department provides an overview of the Vehicle Scrappage Policy announced recently and discusses what it holds for commercial vehicles and private vehicles.

Vehicle Scrappage Policy India 2021 Background: During her Budget 2021-22 speech, the Finance Minister, Mrs. Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Vehicle Scrappage Policy to bring about transformational reforms in the automobile sector.

The Vehicle Scrappage Policy was introduced in Lok Sabha on 18 May 2021 by Union Minister Mr Nitin Gadkari and the Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi launched the National Automobile Scrappage policy via video conferencing during the Investor Summit in Gujarat on 13 August 2021.

The policy will help in phasing- out unfit and polluting vehicles, promote scientific disposal of old polluting vehicles, and help modernise the vehicle fleet.

The vehicle scrappage policy is aimed at building an eco-system to phase-out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environmentally friendly and safe manner. It further intends to create scrapping infrastructure in the form of Automated Testing Stations and Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facilities pan India.

The Government is promoting a circular economy to develop a sustainable and environment-friendly front where products are designed for durability, reuse and recyclability. Is a multidimensional policy with a positive impact on economy, employment, environment, and India’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals.

What are the time lines for Implementation of Vehicle Scrappage policy ?

Heavy commercial vehicles will undergo mandatory fitness tests starting 1 April 2023 while the private vehicles will be included in the mandatory fitness test criteria from 1 June 2024, in a phased manner.

Commercial Vehicles will need to undergo a mandatory fitness test after 8 years while the private vehicles will have to undergo the mandatory fitness test after15 years.

Private vehicles will be de-registered after 20 years while commercial vehicles will be de-registered after 15 years if they fail to comply with the fitness requirements.

Since the Scrappage Scheme is Voluntary, how does the Government aim to promote scrappage of old unfit vehicles ?

Although vehicle scrapping is voluntary, it is mandatory for all vehicles to undergo fitness tests once their registration cycle is over.

If a vehicle fails the fitness test, owners will get two more chances to pass, failing which the vehicle will be mandatorily scrapped as it will not be issued a renewed registration certificate and an unregistered vehicle is illegal to run on the road.

If a vehicle passes the fitness test even if its registration cycle is over, it will have to undergo fitness tests every five years to continue to run on the road.

How will the renewal of registration take place under the scheme ?

Fitness centres pan India will test vehicles on certain parameters including emission of harmful gases, air-polluting particles, engine performance and brake tests. The owners of the vehicles will have to pay the fees for re-registration.

Green Tax proposed for re-registration of vehicles The vehicles passing the fitness test will have to pay Green Tax during re-registration. The tax will vary from state to state and will depend on the fuel type and the vehicle. Vehicles such as EVs and alternate-fuel models that use CNG, ethanol and LPG will be exempted altogether.

Contributed by Pankaj Gupta

11 DARPAN August 2021