Ex: What is one truth you believe in that most people disagree with you on?
Zac: This is a difficult one to start with. I have nothing unique in my leadership style and much of my personal learnings about having passion, energy and drive are not new to business or to life. I do however believe strongly that it is important to look after your own body and to be fit in order to achieve the best out of life.
Ex: One thing you believe is absolutely necessary for sustained growth.
Zac: Surround yourself with the best people you can find and reward them well. They will deliver so much more towards the growth of your business. This hiring process cannot be underestimated.
Ex: When will you say you have fulfilled all your goals?
Zac: This is a difficult one as life keeps on giving you, new goals as soon as you achieve the ones you have. I don’t believe you will ever achieve all of your goals. It is important to keep setting challenging goals for the future and to keep looking forward and re-evaluating where you are going.
Ex: How difficult is it to maintain a work-life balance?
Zac: Personally I don’t find this difficult and I have the ability to cut off and do what I feel is important at the time. Family, sports, and hobbies are what keeps the mind active and make you refreshed for business.
Ex: One futuristic feature that you can’t wait to introduce in your vehicle.
Zac: Autonomous vehicles will eventually change the way we travel completely. Imagine calling up a car on and it comes straight to you, taking you to where you want to go and then going on to the next customer, without a driver ever being present in the car. The business case for owning a car will become less and less, but in the short term, the innovations in technology that are moving down from premium cars are safety features.
Ex: Can you imagine how much safer our roads would be if every car was equipped with emergency braking?
Zac: This means that no car could possibly run into the back of the car in front. This I believe is coming and soon could be mandatory on all new cars, like seat belts or airbags.
Ex: Which old-school car/bike design inspired you the most?
Zac: I love the designs of the British Sports cars from the 1960s and ’70s. From the MG’s, E-Type Jag, and Austin Healeys. I feel these designs are timeless.
Ex: When do you plan to launch the VISION IN? What will you introduce after the VISION IN from the same platform?
Zac: We are extremely excited for the launch of the A0 SUV based on the VISION IN Concept, showcased at the Delhi Auto Expo 2020. We plan to launch it
in Q2 2021. It will be another splendid innovation from SKODA. 2021 looks promising because post the launch of the A0 SUV, we will be launching A0 NB Sedan, built on the same platform, which will provide best-in-class features and an amazing value for the luxury proposition.
Ex: Is Skoda India planning to enter the EV segment, given the launch of the Enyaq iV?
Zac: The future of mobility is going to be electric, however, it will still take time for the Indian market to adopt EVs on a mass scale. We are committed to the Indian market and will introduce the right EV models at an opportune time – but certainly not in the immediate future.