VW Academy India builds firefighting Vento

A group of 14 apprentices as part of their final year project at the Volkswagen Academy India built a firefighting car based on a Volkswagen Vento. The team of students used the 1.6-litre TDI for their project using parts and components from the Vento and the Cross Polo. The design of the car had been modified to adapt the needs of a fire fighting vehicle. The car was extensively worked on from the B-piller to tailgate to create a pick-up design. The project was carried out with specially designed parts comprising of approximately 160 components. To keep the costs low, scrapped parts and components from various production departments of the Pune plant were utilized in this project. The process of building the car was monitored by the Pilot Hall team at Volkswagen Pune plant, which is responsible for experimental projects. The firefighting car will be used for daily inspection around the plant as well as for the movement of material by the Fire and Safety Department.

KT Vijayan, Head of Volkswagen Academy, Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “The well-accomplished project of building the firefighting car shows the diversity of education our Academy students receive and the course’s unique approach towards practical learning.” Volkswagen Academy India had started its three-year dual apprenticeship program at the Pune plant in 2011. This program is a Mechatronics course that concentrates on branches such as mechanical, electrical, electronics and IT. The first batch of this program are the students behind fire fighting car project.