Volkswagen hopes to have the small car rolling out by March next year
Volkswagen hopes to have the small car rolling out by March next year
BANGALOREANS can dream of zipping around in the fifth-generation Polo next year.
Unveiled last March at the Geneva Auto Show, the simple yet sleek four-door model is expected to be priced in the Rs 6- to 7-lakh range.
An official from Volkswagen, Bangalore, said the car was likely to hit the market by 2010 but the specifications could only be released about a month before the actual release.
However, an Indian auto website, Vicky.in, hazards that the car will be built on the same platform as the previous generation with a wheelbase of 2,470mm. It is most likely to be available as a five-speed manual with a 1.2-Litre 70bhp petrol engine or a 1.2-Litre 75bhp diesel engine.
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Cashing in
With an investment of around 580 million euros (Rs 3,800 crore), Volkswagen is the largest German investor in India.
Jochem Heizmann, a member of the board of management, said India was a strategic market and held enormous potential for the company in the future.
Despite the downturn, the Indian automotive industry is expected to grow from 1.2 million vehicles per year to more than 2 million a year by 2014 and Volkswagen intends to cash in on this.
Though it has a presence among midsize sedans, Volkswagen wants to compete with vehicles like Skoda Fabia and Hyundai Getz.
"Smaller cars like the Polo are popular in India, especially in bigger cities like Bangalore, because the small size and maneuverability allow people to navigate through heavy traffic," said an official.
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