Škoda to give Chakan-adjacent land to ARAI for EV crash testing

By Daniel Okafor

Five stars for adults and five for children: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India says its India 2.0 models posted Global New Car Assessment Programme ratings for adult and child occupant protection, which the company calls the first such result for India-made cars.

What changes at Chakan?

Škoda Auto Volkswagen India will transfer land beside its Chakan plant in Pune to the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) for a crash-test facility. The companies exchanged a memorandum of understanding for the project at a Pune ceremony attended by Heavy Industries and Steel Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

This is a committed land arrangement, not an operating facility. The announcement gives no construction start, completion date, annual test capacity, capital cost, plot size or staffing figure. Without those figures, the project cannot yet be translated into vehicles tested per year or development cost per model. The announcement stops before the less comfortable numbers: budget, schedule and staffing.

Škoda also redrew its future Chakan expansion layout at ARAI’s request. Piyush Arora, Managing Director and Chief Executive, said the company adjusted that plan and expects the facility to shorten EV development timelines.

His claim points to a faster route through safety validation, but the announcement does not quantify the saving in months, identify the first model for testing or set a start date.

What will ARAI test?

The planned site will handle battery-electric and combustion-engined models. Its stated near-term purpose is to expand domestic EV safety testing, including the assessments export markets demand. That gives Chakan a second industrial role alongside production: Škoda, the automaker, will cede land to ARAI, an automotive test body, so vehicles can address Indian and export-market safety requirements locally.

This is an R&D and certification project between an OEM and a test institution, not a component-supplier award. The announcement specifies no production-volume, model-allocation or workforce change. It changes the physical plan around the plant and will add testing capacity meant to support future Bharat NCAP rules and export-market assessments.

Why does the timing matter?

India’s minister sees the facility as part of a wider policy push. Kumaraswamy said: “Expanding local R&D and safety testing infrastructure is essential as India’s automotive sector advances.” He also said the ARAI-Škoda initiative would strengthen domestic testing capacity for EVs 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,” Kumaraswamy said. He added that the facility would strengthen Indian OEMs’ ability to develop vehicles meeting stringent export-market requirements.

The regulatory language is forward-looking. “Future Bharat NCAP requirements” leaves implementation dates and protocols outside this announcement. Export-market readiness is likewise a planned capability, not evidence that a particular overseas certification has already been won. The distinction is simple: ministerial backing and a land-transfer commitment are confirmed; shorter EV development timelines remain an expectation.

What should readers watch?

Three milestones matter next: transfer of the Chakan plot and start of construction; disclosure of design capacity, budget and staffing; and the timetable for implementing future Bharat NCAP requirements. Škoda’s five-star India 2.0 result provides a safety benchmark, but the development-speed claim remains unmeasured until operating data are disclosed.

For now, this is a revised plot and a policy promise, not a new testing-capacity milestone. The memorandum has been exchanged; the industrial proof remains outstanding.