'Volkswagen Polo' Small Car

The Honorable Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Ashok Chavan and Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, with responsibility of 'Group Production', formally rolled out Volkswagen India's first locally manufactured Polo from its plant in Chakan, Pune. Other honorable guests who graced the occasion with their presence were Shri. Rajendra J. Darda, Minister of Industries and Employment for state of Maharashtra, Shri. Sachin Ahir, State Minister of Industries and Housing Development as well as His Excellency Mr. Thomas Matussek, German Ambassador to India.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann said, "Today's start of production of our Polo is more than just the rollout of a car. It marks a milestone in our journey together into a successful future for the Volkswagen Group in India."

Since India is a strategic market for the Volkswagen Group and holds enormous potential for it, Prof. Heizmann added, "We aim to achieve a market share of eight to ten percent in the next four to six years with the three Volkswagen Group brands, Audi, Skoda, and Volkswagen by ambitious plans for India. We offer outstanding products, which will soon be joined in the market by another one - the Polo. These products - and in particular our Polo - will help us to increase our market share of this growing market significantly."

"The Polo is eagerly awaited here in India", he added "And quite rightly so, because our Polo stands for first-class German engineering and superior state-of-the-art technology. It is a young, fresh and cosmopolitan car. We have aligned the current model systematically and uncompromisingly with our customers' expectations."

In Europe, the Volkswagen Polo has become the benchmark for the small car segment and has now created its own class - the Polo class. Volkswagen has received more than 130,000 orders since the new model was launched in May this year. The Volkswagen Polo has also been voted The Car of the Year - one of the oldest and most prestigious honors.

According to Prof. Heizmann, "Customers need to be convinced of the benefits of owning a Volkswagen Group car and must want to buy it. Ultimately, the customer is a brand's best ambassador. We are dead certain that we will bring forward the European success story of our Polo to India."