After launching a sub-4-metre compact SUV, the Indian subsidiary of the German car giant will work on introducing a sub-4-metre SUV and Next-gen Polo
After a pretty dismal sales performance for many years, Volkswagen India, the local subsidiary of the German car giant, has finally lined up a range of new models for the country as a part of its India 2.0 strategy. The first of the new models lined up for our market is the Tiguan AllSpace, which was launched recently.
Next, the company also plans to launch the T-ROC and Taigun compact SUV. However, the new model onslaught from the company won’t end anytime soon. The company is also planning to launch a sub-4-metre SUV and the next-gen Polo in the market. The all-new Polo for the Indian market will be based on the international version but will have length reduced to less than 4 metre.
However, among these, the next-gen VW Polo will be launched in India only after the introduction of the sub-4-metre SUV. In a recent interaction with the Economic Times,
Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen India, has said, “If you come to India (and) want to be successful in hatchbacks, you have to be sub-4 metre.”
It may be noted here that while the international markets received the sixth generation version of the Polo in June 2017, India continues to have the fifth generation Polo on sale in the country. For reference, the version of the Polo on sale in our country was unveiled back in March 2009.
The only reason the sixth generation of the Volkswagen Polo was not brought to us is that it is based on the MQB A0 platform. Bringing the current generation of the hatchback to our country would have been an expensive proposition, which, in turn, would have led to a steep pricing. Hence, the latest version of the globally-acclaimed hatchback was ruled out for our country after conducting feasibility studies.
Now, however, the company has found a solution to this issue in the form of the MQB A0 IN platform, which is, in essence, a low cost version of the company’s global architecture. The sixth generation of the VW Polo, which is on sale globally, will approach the end of its lifecycle in a year or two. Hence, the next-generation model will be out by the end of 2022.