New Volkswagen Polo

The all new Polo has been showcased for the first time in India atht eh 2010 Auto Expo in Delhi and though its launch date is set for later this year, this display literally seals the deal and yes it's a great time to start saving up!

The premium hatch comes from a strong lineage however it will compete against the likes of the Skoda Fabia, Hyundai i20 and Suzuki Swift so the going is not bound to be smooth, however VW doesn't intend on leaving any stone unturned with the launch of the Polo so expect a neat price war to break out once the car hits the showrooms.

The car itself is a solid piece of machinery. Crafted by Volkwagen you can expect build quality to be top notch and to ensure the Polo has its wheels in the deep end of the pool from day one, VW is going to introduce the car with both petrol and diesel engines. The petrol engined Polo is powered by a 1.2 litre engine with an output of 75HP@ 5400 rpm and churns out a torque of 110Nm@3750 rpm. The diesel is also a 1.2 litre unit that churns out 75HP however it develops this at a lower 4200 rpm and churns out a healthier torque figure of 180Nm@ just 2000 rpm. On paper the diesel seems to be the winner, however a drive will be the best judge of this.

One look at the Polo and you are bound to have a smile on your face. It's a cute car that has a sporty undertone to its nature and just beckons for you to step up and take it for a spin. Small cars can be stylish and the Polo does reiterate this fact. Aiding the overall design are the large 15 inch wheels which work as the best attention grabbers. The interiors are functional and offer a host of pockets to store various knick-knacks. The materials used are neat and the cabin generally offers an overall feel good factor. Safety has not been compromised either and the new Polo is set to debut with ABS, dual airbags and an anti-theft immobilizer.

The new Polo is set to come into India soon and will be available in three trim levels, namely the Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. Pricing has still not been revealed but the expectation is that the car is set to be placed smack in the middle of Maruti territory.

Volkswagen Beetle to be Launched Soon in India

Volkswagen is all set to roll out the Volkswagen Beetle on the Indian roads, in the beginning of December this year. As per information provided by a senior company official, Volkswagen Beetle was meant to be a People's car, but its very high prices fail to live up to that. Volkswagen would import the Beetle as 'Completely Built Unit (CBU)' with a 110 per cent import duty from its Mexican plant, for sale in Indian markets.

Volkswagen is Europe's largest carmaker which already sells the Volkswagen Jetta and Volkswagen Passat sedans and the Touareg SUV in India. The Volkswagen owns Skoda and Porsche vehicles which have already done good sales in India. The group has two facilities in India at Aurangabad and Chakan which assemble cars of its three brands, Skoda, Audi and Volkswagen.

Talking about the proposed launch, a couple of months back, Volkswagen India (Passenger car) Board of Directors, Member Neeraj Garg told reporters "It is an iconic brand and people know more about the car than Volkswagen. It will be brought to India as a completely built unit." At that time, he failed to put any time line for the launch of Beetle, but indicated that it is certainly considering using the 'Beetle' as a brand building strategy for Volkswagen, in order to get into the competitive Indian compact segment.

'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."

Volkswagen starts production of first India car

Volkswagen AG started production of its first compact car in India on Saturday, hoping to capture up to 10 percent of the country's fast-growing automobile market within the next six years, the company said.

The Polo, a compact hatchback, rolled off the lines at Volkswagen's factory in Pune, an auto hub a few hours outside Mumbai, shortly before noon. The factory, opened earlier this year, is part of a 580 million euros ($846.8 million) investment, which the company says is a "key element" in its India strategy.

The factory can produce up to 110,000 cars a year, and will be used to manufacture the Skoda Fabia, Polo and a sedan to be launched in the second half of next year, the company said.

It did not reveal the price of the Polo, which has gotten 130,000 orders since its European launch in May.

"We aim to achieve a market share of 8 to 10 percent in the next four to six years with the three Volkswagen Group brands, Audi, Skoda, and Volkswagen," Volkswagen Group board member Jochem Heizmann said in a statement.

Global auto majors Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford and Nissan have been slow to awaken to the particularities of Indian consumers, who overwhelmingly prefer small, affordable cars rather than the more luxurious models that sell well in the U.S., Germany and China. Now, as developed world sales slow, they're racing to catch up.

To do so, they must make cars in India, which allows them to avoid hefty import taxes and keep production costs competitive. Volkswagen said it aims to boost localization to 80 percent of total production from 50 percent now.

Ford says its made-in-India compact, the Figo, will go on sale in the first quarter of 2010. Nissan says its first India-made car — a new version of the hatchback that now sells under the Micra brand in Europe and the March brand in Japan — will roll out in May 2010. General Motors started India production of its pint-sized Chevrolet Spark in September 2008, and is reportedly planning to launch a new model, the Chevrolet Beat, in the first half of next year.

Volkswagen also bought a piece of India's rising prosperity with the purchase of a 20 percent stake in Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp. Suzuki's Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki, sells one of every two cars in India.

JD Power forecasts car sales in India will grow from 1.7 million in 2008 to 3.2 million in 2015, while auto sales in China will surge from 8.8 million to 16.0 million over the same period.