Tag Archives: Volkswagen-Jetta

Volkswagen Unveils Polo-based Sedan, Vento

Volkswagen-Vento
After the successful launch of the Polo in February, Volkswagen was planning to launch its entry level sedan in India. After numerous speculations and millions of rumours, the sedan is finally here. Finally the Indian car lovers get to feast their eyes on the Polo based sedan, Vento. The German car manufacturer unveiled the car in Delhi today. The entry-level sedan will be launched in the last quarter of this year.

The car will be rolled out from the company’s manufacturing plant in Chakan in Maharashtra. The VW Vento comes equipped with 1.6 litre petrol and diesel engine. The 1.6 Liter petrol engine churns out 105 bhp@5250 rpm and 153 Nm of torque @3800 rpm, the diesel engine, with identical power output, outdoes the petrol in the torque section and brings 253 Nm between 1500-2500 rpm. Both the variants will be available in manual and automatic transmission options.

“This is the first car which has been designed and manufactured in India,” Volkswagen Group Board Member (Sales & Marketing) Christian Klingler said. The VW Vento is targeted at the mass market and will be positioned at the upper-end of the mid-sized sedan segment, including Fiat Linea, Honda City and Hyundai Verna Transform, in the country. Though the Vento does not have the looks of the City or the Linea, it will definitely attract most middle aged car buyers with its classy understated charm.

Volkswagen has taken special care while designing the Vento. While black and beige trim elegantly furnish the interiors, 15 inch alloys and fog lamps enhance the outer appeal of the car. The new sedan also boasts of an MP3 player and radio. The highline variant will be available in four colours namely silver, blue, beige and black, but the trendline would have just two offers in the colour section. Sad, isn’t it! But there is something to be happy about. Both the variants will come with a 6 year warranty with anti corrosion body treatment and high ground clearance.

Volkswagen Vento being unveiled in Delhi

Coming to the price of the new VW car. Senior officials from the organisation have refused to open their mouths about the price of the Vento; however, they said that the price will be announced in the first week August and the car will be available in the market in the October-December quarter.

While the Polo was launched in the Indian market at a price ranging from Rs 4.34 to Rs 6.70 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Vento is likely to start above Rs 7 lakh, and the top end version will likely reach the tag of Rs 9 lakh and above.

The new Vento, which is the seventh model in India from Volkswagen’s stable, will further strengthen the company’s position in the Indian market. Volkswagen currently offers compact cars ‘Beetle‘ and ‘Polo’, premium sedans ‘Phaeton’, ‘Passat’ and ‘Jetta’, and sports utility vehicle ‘Touareg’ in the country.

The German car manufacturer has invested 580 million euros on its Chakan plant, which manufactures 1.1 lakh units per annum. The manufacturing facility also produces the ‘Fabia’ hatchback of group firm SkodaAuto.

Image Credit: AFP

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posted by carazooblog @ Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Volkswagen Vento To Be Launched on July 6

Volkswagen Vento
Well, July certainly seems to be the preferred month of new car launches for a number of car manufacturers in India. The third week of July would bring us the much awaited hatchback Nissan Micra. While Mitsubishi will launch the Evo X, Fiat is all set to roll out the 90bhp Grande Punto Sport. But the month would kick-start with the launch of the Polo based sedan, well known as Vento, which Volkswagen had promised to the Indians quite some time back.

Yes readers, it is less than a week now, VW Vento would be launched on the 6th of July 2010. And with this, the VW Vento would herald a whole new competition dynamics in a segment that saw the recently launched Hyundai Verna Transform, Honda City and Maruti Suzuki SX4.

The Volkswagen Vento would be launched in both petrol and diesel engine variants. This would give the Vento an upper hand with the Maruti Suzuki SX4 and Honda City, because both these cars are available in only petrol engine options. While the petrol variant of Vento would gets its power from 1.6-litre engine that produces 105 bhp (the same as the one on the BSIII Jetta), the diesel engine might be 1.6-litre, common rail four-cylinder engine with 105 bhp.

And you would find it interesting to know that this engine is also found in the Polo Cup Racers in India, which are tuned to produce 130 bhp. We are not very sure as of now, but it is expected that Volkswagen would offer the Vento in both manual and automatic options, the latter being a six-speed DSG gearbox.

Interiors of the VW Vento can boast of added space, better seats and more shoulder and headroom. When it comes to the features of the new car, there are more new controls on the dashboard and a new design steering wheel with more chrome inserts than we saw on the Polo.

The new car will be assembled at the company’s plant in Chakan, Pune. The VW Vento will be built alongside the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia hatchbacks. With the launch of the new Vento, the German car maker would have seven models on offer in India, ranging from the Polo, Vento, New Beetle, Jetta, Passat, Touareg and Phaeton.

Competitive pricing is the key to survival in the Indian automobile industry, and Volkswagen seems to be complying with the T&Cs of the Indian market. The VW Vento price is likely to start above Rs 7 lakh, and the top end version will likely reach the tag of Rs 9 lakh and above.

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The All-New Volkswagen Jetta Explored

VW-Jetta-image
Volkswagen India is busy preparing for the Vento’s launch, the car based on the Polo platform due next month. Meanwhile, we have good news from the other side of the globe. There was this jazzy ceremony at the Times Square in New York yesterday. Wonder what was happening? Volkswagen unveiled its all-new jazzy Jetta sedan at the ceremony.

Based on the sixth generation Golf platform, the Jetta has been a Volkswagen roaring success with over 9.6 million units of the previous five generations sold. So VW must have thought, how about another bestseller? The new car has been carved to be greater and bolder than before. Yes, the new Jetta no longer looks like Golf with a boot. The new model is no way related to the Golf. VW now wants everybody to believe that the Jetta is as independent a platform as say the Tiguan, sharing no components with the Golf.

This new model was first revealed as the NCC concept at the Detroit Motor Show. The all-new Jetta has grown longer with an overall length increase of 90 mm. The wheelbase has increased by 70 mm. There’s more room inside and this could well be a sarcastic message sent to rivals like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, Skoda Laura and Chevrolet Cruze, ‘I am way more spacious than you’. The interior legroom too has increased by 67 mm taking overall legroom up to 967 mm with genuine five seater capability. So, ready to get lost in the huge space inside the new Jetta? Hold on! The car is currently available only in the U.S. and Europe. We would have to wait a while for the smart Jetta to come in. For now, let’s be happy that the Vento will soon be here.

As far as the exteriors are concerned, the ‘design DNA’ concept of group design chief Walter Da Silva and Klaus Bischoff focuses on making the car appear tauter. With the trapezoidal head lamps, a black radiator grille and splitters on the front bumper, the new Jetta is typically Volkswagen, yet has its own identity. Then there’s the strong waist line and knife cut wheel arches that are very different from the previous Jetta that was considered ‘boring’ by many. The tail lamps draw inspiration from the handcrafted luxury car, the VW Phaeton. Also, the alluring pinched lines have increased giving the car a more interesting look.

VW-Jetta-rear-image

Six new engines are being offered on the Jetta in Europe. A 1.6-litre TDI with 105 bhp and 2.0-litre TDI with 140 bhp will be the core of the diesel array. Four new petrol engines – a 1.2-litre TSI motor with 105 bhp, a 1.4-litre TSI motor with 160 bhp, a 1.4 TSI with 122 bhp and 2.0-litre TSI with 200 bhp complete the range. Both the 1.2 TSI and 1.6 TDI feature Volkswagen’s Blue Motion technology while six-speed DSG will be available as an option with all engines, except the TSI. Manual gearboxes too come standard with these engines.

After the U.S. and Europe, let’s hope it is India’s turn to behold the new Jetta. The second quarter of 2011, may be that’s when it will arrive. Of course, it will be a bit expensive. The 2.0-litre TDI will be here for sure, don’t you think so? But will the fuel-sensitive turbo petrol motor set foot in India? Well, let’s wait and watch.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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2011 Volkswagen Unveils Polo sedan in Russia

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Lots of speculations regarding the new Volkswagen Polo sedan will finally rest in peace. Yes, people we have the official news from the horse’s mouth itself. Volkswagen has finally unveiled the Volkswagen Polo sedan just before the Moscow Motor Show.

The Volkswagen Polo sedan, christened as Vento, is being pegged as the upcoming volume car for the Indian market. And the official pictures of the new car suggest that it is aiming to give some restless nights to the current C-segment cars, including Honda City, on the Indian roads.

The Vento is definitely longer than the VW New Polo and will certainly appeal to the comfort sensibilities of the Indians. The VW Vento has a 50mm longer wheelbase than the Polo which will take care of the people who complained about the lack of comfortable legroom in the Polo hatchback. Height-wise, the sedan has been increased to give it the added touch of comfort. Apart from that, the German car maker also aims to manufacture this car with tailored specifications so as to please the Indian crowd which wants safety, comfort, innovative technology and stability.

There is heightened hopefulness in the VW camp and is expecting the stylish and attractive new car to hit a homerun. In India, VW will launch the sedan in two engine variants – diesel and petrol. While the petrol Vento will have 1.6-litre engine, producing 105 bhp (the same as the one on the Jetta), the diesel variant will feature a 1.6-litre, common rail four-cylinder engine with 105 bhp. Both the diesel and the petrol version would be offered with manual and automatic options, the latter one being a DSG gearbox.

The VW Vento sedan features high level safety features including three-point seat belts, ABS, side air-bags and ESP.

Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Brand with responsibility for Development, says: “The new Polo Saloon does not only fulfil the highest standards of modern automotive engineering. The efficient technologies, outstanding active and passive safety and the traditional high quality of workmanship and materials are groundbreaking for this class. In conjunction with the timeless design, a level has been reached that is unprecedented in this segment and this market.”

The production of the Vento has already started at its Chakan plant near Pune and will likely be launched in August or September 2010.

“We have already started producing the new sedan which would be bigger than Polo but smaller than Jetta. We are currently producing it in small numbers and would commercially launch it by August this year,” Kurt Rippholz, head, communications India Volkswagen group and brand, said.

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Volkswagen has not given any hints regarding the pricing of the Vento sedan but you can expect a price tag in the range of Rs 7-9 lakh.

With the launch of this car, Volkswagen will have seven models on offer in India, including the Polo, Vento, New Beetle, Jetta, Passat, Touareg and Phaeton.

posted by carazooblog @ Friday, June 4th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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VW to launch Phaeton next month, eyes bigger market share

2009-volkswagen-phaeton-2
People’s car and Luxury car will go hand in hand when it is from the house of Volkswagen. The German Car maker has always had big plans charted out for India. India like China was always an untapped market for many car makers and Volkswagen wants to make it big by filling in the void.

Volkswagen’s ambitious project for small cars for India has just shaped up in a nice way, thanks to its colloboration with Suzuki. Volkswagen Polo, the car which it has launched a couple of months back is garnering good reviews which can be transalated into great sales once the Chakan plant rolls out more Polos for India.

But right now, we want to speak about the more ambitious plans of Volkswagen to counter the onslaught of its compatriots in the luxury car segment. And staying in course with plans, VW has decided to take the competition in India to new heights with its global flagship model, the Phaeton, which will make inroads to the country next month. The Volkswagen Phaeton will be directly pitted against the Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Audi A8, Porsche and Jaguar.

“The Phaeton is the flagship model of VW worldwide. In India, this would be a brand positioning product for the company. The premium luxury sedan market in India is pretty small, 500-1,000 units at most. However, this is a defining segment and will be a good tool for the company to showcase its innovation. The Phaeton is meant for the customer looking for understated luxury,” states Neeraj Garg, member of board, director, Volkswagen passenger car, Volkswagen Group sales India.

The Phaeton would be brought to India as a completely built-up unit (CBU). The Beetle and Touareg are the other models that come in as CBUs. The Volkswagen Jetta and Passat are built at Volkwagen’s Aurangabad plant. To keep the competition healthy, Volkswagen will be priced around Rs 76 lakh. Now, that’s some serious competition. Right?

With the introduction of the Phaeton, Volkswagen would have a complete range of offerings for the Indian market, with cars ranging from in price Rs 4.42 lakh to Rs 76.30 lakh. In the last four months, VW sold 287 Passats, 1,099 Jettas, 226 Beetles, 69 Touaregs and 1,599 Polos in the Indian market.

Volkswagen is aiming for 8-9% market share in India in about four to five years which itself is quite ambitious. The total market in India stands at 1.7 million cars, which is expected to grow to 3 million units by 2014-15.

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Mr. Garg opines that the sedan market in India is the next big in-thing in addition to the small car segment as the sedan market size is growing at some 250,000 units on an annual basis. Volkwagen sees a very lucrative market in the segment and Volkwagen’s portfolio will be complete after it adds the sedan (Codenamed Vento) in India. The trial production of the Vento has already been started and it can be expected to be introduced by September this year.

Out of the 43 dealerships of Volkswagen in India, the Pune dealership is the company’s biggest dealership in India with a capacity to display 10 cars in the showroom and a 30-bay workshop including accidental repair and body-paint workshop.

posted by carazooblog @ Thursday, May 27th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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Bug Called the ‘Beetle’

Volkswagen-Beetle
When the iconic Beetle finally made it to India in December 2009, not many ventured to make a prediction regarding the fate of this car in the hands of the Indian junta. But guess what, the Bug has bitten the Indians hard, and no one is complaining. Indian customers are in love with the Beetle and they are ready to overlook even the steep pricing of the car. Just add in a few more lakh and you can be a proud owner of a Mercedes or even a BMW, but nothing is as lust-worthy as the Beetle.

Volkswagen has sold about 284 units of the New Beetle in less than five months since its launch. April alone brought the sale of about 92 cars. The iconic Beetle has a waiting period of two-three months, as the company is importing it from its manufacturing plant in Mexico, and sold in India as a CBU.

So who are the people shelling out the big bucks for this iconic little car? Well, according to Volkswagen, the list of Beetle buyers comprises of rich businessmen and Bollywood celebrities who want to zip around in their flashy new car.

Excited by the success of the New Beetle, Volkswagen India hopes that the demand curve maintains the upwards direction. “The Beetle is a much loved car in India and our intent to introduce it was to cater to our customer demand. Consequently, we expect a decent increase of sales of the New Beetle over a period of time,” said Neeraj Garg, director (passenger cars), Volkswagen India.

Volkswagen Beetle has its own fan following in India and many of them had waited long to own one. “The product is positioned for discerning Indian customers to meet their intrinsic wish for a style statement and uniqueness. We are confident it will be well appreciated for its value offered to customers,” he added.

India has its own share of cash rich people and they do not hesitate to show it off. And the introduction of the new Beetle gave them another decent option of doing just that.

It usually takes about a month for the shipment of the car and the demand being higher than anticipated, the waiting period adds to the woes of people who want have a bug of their own in a jiffy. “Each Volkswagen dealer gets one or two bookings a month for Beetle. It has led to a waiting period of at least two months, which is higher than what we anticipated at the time of launch of the vehicle last year,” said a Volkswagen dealer in Delhi.

At present, Volkswagen India has about 45 dealers across the country selling Polo, Jetta, Passat, Beetle, Touareg and Phaeton.

The new Beetle is powered by a four-cylinder 2000cc petrol engine with six-speed automatic transmission. With the luxury car market at its peak in India, hope BMW would reconsider its plans to bring the Mini in India. Earlier BMW had mentioned it was planning to bring the specially designed small to India but the plan got shelved due to the recession.

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The Car Brand, Price or Features? What’s Your Choice?

We see the Indian car market expanding by the day and with so many options, buyers are getting picky. Everybody would like to own a Porsche car or an Audi or may be even a Mercedes Benz. It also depends on one’s spending power. Not everyone can afford a Mercedes Benz. People, therefore, buy premium sedans like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord.

Currently, market trends are changing and we can have a BMW at the Camry price. Take for example the Corporate Edition of the BMW 3 series. This BMW car sure offers value for money.

BMW 3 series corporate edition

It was earlier conceived as a slightly stripped-down variant suitable for fleet buyers or companies in India. It was for those buyers who handed keys to a driver. They did not want the top notch features. The buyers just wanted the brand and power of owning a BMW. The attractive 320d Corporate Edition was priced at an attractive Rs 24.4 Lakh only while the regular 320d Highline was priced Rs 31 Lakh. Both cars were strapped with the 177 bhp engine and six-speed automatic transmission. What a deal that can be!

That was about fleet buyers. But slowly sales grew and individual buyers too wanted the model. We now have the Corporate Edition for individual buyers too. The demand has been so great that BMW is currently facing some back orders. The sales figures in two months have crossed 300. In spite of all this, Mercedes grabbed the numero uno position from last year’s winner, BMW. Everything is part of game.

Not just BMW. We have other luxury cars too being sold for less. Volkswagen has re-launched the Passat with a 157 bhp, 1.8 TSI petrol engine and manual transmission at Rs 19.2 Lakh. Competition for BMW, ah! If not, with a BMW available for Rs 24 Lakh, why would anyone buy a Volkswagen Passat at the same price? The Rs 5 Lakh plunge from its earlier diesel engine and automatic transmission version still gets you most of the ease and comfort, and the car looks just as splendid and grand with its chrome-enhanced appearance.

Mercedes-C-Class-executive edition

Now we also know why people stress on having a premium hatch and not just any hatchback at dealerships. Those who were satisfied with MUVs earlier now want them with plush interiors. More than plush interiors, it is the brand. That is the emerging trend today.

The BMW strategy has now forced Mercedes Benz to work out a similar proposition with its new “Executive” variant C-Class sedan. Right now, the car maker insists that it would be just for the corporate and fleet sales. However, individual sales are on the cards given the irresistible demand from buyers. Mercedes too has tried something out of the box. We had 115 Mercedes sold on a single day in a single city. Audi’s basic variant of its A4 model will also be in the market by June.

Other auto makers too have begun thinking. Honda, Toyota and Nissan, and even Skoda are thinking of reducing prices. The Skoda Superb, in fact, also has a cheaper, manual version at Rs 18.28 Lakh with pretty much the same features as the Volkswagen Passat.

2010 new_vw_Passat

The Cruze was launched by Chevrolet at a much lesser price than the competition. Then, we also have the Toyota Corolla Altis and the cheaper Volkswagen Jetta, priced aggressively. Future models that plan to step into India may face some danger. Ford with its Focus, Renault with its Fluence and Tata Motors with its Prima concept will also have to consider a lower entry price point. These cars will grace the Indian roads by next year. It is buyers’ market in India. The options are immense, the luxury and performance options are aplenty, and the prices are more attractive than ever before. These will only get better.

posted by carazooblog @ Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 Comments Off links to this post
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