Volkswagen T-Roc Sold Out In India, Bookings Halted

Volkswagen T-Roc 2020 Auto Expo

The Volkswagen T-Roc is powered by a 1.5-litre TSI engine, which generates 150 PS and 250 Nm of peak power and torque, respectively

Volkswagen has recently announced that the T-Roc SUV has been completely sold out in India. The German auto giant has also halted booking for the vehicle, at least for now. The VW T-Roc is priced at Rs. 19.99 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi), and is brought to our market via the CBU import route in limited numbers, thus avoiding homologation.

VW had set a relatively low sales goal for the T-Roc, only 1,000 units in a year. Due to the market slowdown, however, reaching even this number could have been a huge task for the company. While domestic car sales are slowly recovering, most of those figures are for relatively affordable vehicles. For premium vehicles, the road to recovery is theoretically a little more difficult.

Interestingly though, the VW T-Roc had managed to garner bookings for most of its stock back in July. It was quite an impressive feat, especially considering that the vehicle was only launched in March 2020. It surely seems like Volkswagen’s strategy of limited CBU imports is working in India.

VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC INTERIOR 4

Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, was quoted saying: “We are thrilled with the response received for our carlines – T-Roc & Tiguan Allspace. It is a testament of customer acceptance on our SUVW offensive strategy”. While VW has managed to enjoy success in niche segments, the company is now eyeing the mainstream car market of India, with plans to launch affordable India-specific models soon.

“Keeping this momentum, we are excited as we prepare for our next big SUV – the Volkswagen Taigun,” said Stefan, “To be launched in 2021, the Taigun is aligned with our brand philosophy of building premium accessible cars. It will offer customers a promising value proposition that embodies the marvel of German engineering, powerful and enhanced driving experience with Volkswagen’s TSI technology and accessible mobility solutions.”

Volkswagen T-Roc 2020 Auto Expo

The Volkswagen Taigun will be a locally manufactured model, unlike the imported T-Roc, and will compete against Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Renault Duster, etc. It will be underpinned by the brand’s ‘MQB A0 IN’ platform. It is expected to draw power from a 1.5-litre TSI engine, which will be paired to a 7-speed DCT. Skoda will also use the same platform to build its own SUV, based on the Vision IN concept.