Volkswagen team to sign car assembly deal with Sri Lanka soon
View(s):A team of representatives of Volkswagen (VW), Germany’s largest automaker and the second -largest car manufacturer worldwide behind Toyota, will be visiting Sri Lanka in the next few weeks to sign an agreement to set up a car manufacturing plant here, Deuty Minister of Policy Planning and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva said.
“This will be the biggest brand name investor Sri Lanka has got in a decade,” he said adding that he was instrumental in working with the German Ambassador Dr. Jurgen Morhard over the last 150 days to make this dream a reality.”We were able to comprehensively and with complete transparency discuss all issues and arrive at a consensus to begin the project which will start as an assembly operation with the objective of manufacturing VW cars, vans and trucks in the coming years. This is a signal victory for our government and I feel honoured to have played a role,” Dr. de Silva said.
The German Ambassador met the Deputy Minister in January this year and conveyed the intention of the Volkswagen Company to set up a vehicle assembly plant in the island for local and foreign markets.