Volkswagen unveils 'Polo' at Auto Expo

Volkswagen finally unveiled one of the highly anticipated launches at the Auto Expo, the Polo. The 'European Car of the Year 2009' will be powered by both petrol and diesel 1.2 litre engines.Volkswagen finally unveiled one of the highly anticipated launches at the Auto Expo, the Polo. The 'European Car of the Year 2009' will be powered by both petrol and diesel 1.2 litre engines.
Paired to the engines will be a 5-speed manual gear box while the car will be available in three trim levels Trendline, Comfortline and will ride on 15" alloy wheels.
On the safety and equipment front the hatch seems to have got all ends locked with Dual Airbags, ABS, an electronic Anti-theft immobilizer, a CD MP3 Player changer with 4 speakers and height adjustable driving seats being a few of the features on offer.The interior is equipped with storage compartment in front doors for 1 litre Bottles, sunglass storage inside glove box, single folding rear seat backrest and the dashboard are proof of the sure instinct of high design quality which interprets the classic elements of the Polo in a contemporary way.
In exteriors too, the new Polo offers body coloured bumpers with green tinted heat absorbing glass, halogen headlights and galvanized Body with 6 years Anti Corrosion Warranty.
While gearing up to start the Polo Cup racing series, Volkswagen also showcased the Race Polo featuring a 1.6 litre common rail diesel engine, which will commence in India with the inaugural race event on June, 2010.

Speaking about the showcasing of the new Polo, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen A.G said, 'The Volkswagen brand plays an important role in our success story. The new Polo is a key player in our ongoing strategy. It is an outstanding model in the exceptional range of the Volkswagen Group.'
He further added 'The Polo stands for German engineering and top technology. It is a lively young and cosmopolitan car. This particular model has been designed with the expectations and wants of our customers in mind, making the Polo a new benchmark in the compact segment and even creating its own class –the Polo class' he concluded. (Content courtesy: autodrive.in)

Fiat, Volkswagen & BMW plan to roll small cars in India

In Pics: Small cars

 For India, this is the year of the small car, with the launch later this year of the world’s cheapest car, Tata Motors’ Nano, priced at just over Rs 1 lakh. This small car will have company at the premium end, too, with European majors bringing in their premium small cars, starting with the Fiat 500. It will be joined later this year by Volkswagen’s New Beetle, and even perhaps by the BMW-owned marquee Mini. The New Beetle and Mini are expected to carry price tags of around Rs 20 lakh. 

“As there is a positive demand and ‘pressure’ from the Indian market, we will be importing the New Beetle,” Andreas Prinz, managing director, Volkswagen PassengerCars, said in an email to ET. “Thanks to the import duties in India, the car will be priced at approximately Rs 20 lakh and will be imported as a completely built-up unit (CBU). Due to the small numbers, we would restrict it to a single engine. Therefore, we are currently analysing which engine will be best suited for the import,” he added. 

“We are looking at a possible market introduction more towards the end of this year, because we have to homologate the New Beetle in order to avoid penalties to be paid,” he added. 

Fiat India is furthest along the road to launch a small car, with Rajeev Kapoor, CEO, Fiat India, hopeful of a May launch. “The Fiat 500, and the Bravo, are already under homologation, which usually takes three months. So, we expect to start selling the Fiat 500 from May,” Mr Kapoor said. 

Since the Fiat 500 is a “highly customised vehicle”, Mr Kapoor said the company will also unveil its customisation plans from May onwards, with a base-level price of Rs 10 lakh. Meanwhile, BMW, which was to announce earlier this year the outcome of its study to introduce Mini, has not formally done so. However, reports suggest that the Bavarian luxury car maker will introduce Mini as a CBU towards the end of this year. The price? “Around Rs 20 lakh, given the current duty levels,” Peter Kronschnabl, president, BMW India, had said earlier. 

However, indications are that BMW’s plans for Mini in India centre around the pricing, consequently the features and eventually the sales figures. Its feasibility study is expected to conclude in another month, after which a decision will be taken, with pricing holding the key. 

Buyers of these high-priced toys are avid car collectors spread all over the country. Sanjay Ghodawat, chairman of the Jaysingpur-based Star Group, was enthusiastic about the Fiat 500, as he already owns the other two, the Mini and the New Beetle. 

“Most collectors, like me, bought the Mini and the New Beetle 2-3 years ago. So we are looking keenly at the Fiat 500. These are special cars, with their looks, the brand name and shape and are ‘must haves’. They are not meant for the general buyer, who is looking at a diesel car with fuel economy,” Mr Ghodawat said. 

While no one is willing to talk numbers, BMW’s Mr Kronschnabl has in the past said a sustainable number would have to be around 200 per year.