VW Polo to Hit the Indian Roads by the End of 2010

Volkswagen Polo is planned to be launched in India by the end of next year. And this launch will end the long wait for this supermini car by the Indian car lovers.

The car was expected to be launched in 2009 but this latest announcement has extended the wait. The booking for the Polo is opened in Europe and the car lovers are eagerly waiting for the fifth-generation Polo. For the Indians the Volkswagen Polo is a new name and will not get hands on it until the end of next year.

There have been some changes made so as to fir into the expectations and needs of the Indian car customers. There has not been any speculations as to what would be the changes made to for it to be introduced into the Indian roads.

The car has very alike exterior features of the Volkswagen Jetta and Passat. But the dual indicators will make it a much sportier one. The base model of the car is available in a 1.2-litre petrol engine and the powerful engine of 1.2 TSI petrol motor will also be available.

The car will carry a price tag that is between Rs 4 lakh and 7 lakh.

Volkswagen’s Pune Plant to Produce 110,000 Vehicles

Volkswagen has created a new milestone in its Indian journey by opening a new plant at Chakan near Pune. Set up at a whopping cost of Rs 3,800 crore, the Pune plant will start manufacturing the Skoda Fabia from May. The new facility comes as a clear signal for the further development of Volkswagen brands in India.

Most modern in the Volkswagen Group, with Pune facility is the only production plant operated by any German automaker in India where the entire production process from press shop to final assembly takes place. It is also the 61^st production plant of the Volkswagen in the world. Volkswagen is likely to start manufacturing a hatchback version of the Volkswagen Polo specially developed for the Indian market from this facility from 2010.

Volkswagen has plans to employ some 2,500 people at the Pune plant by the end of 2010. In 2008, the Volkswagen Group produced 6.347 million vehicles worldwide, some 66.2 percent (4.201 million) of which were built outside Germany.

Indian automobile market is vibrant is still high despite the impact of the financial and economic crisis. According to experts, the Indian car market will grow from the present 1.2 million vehicles to over 2 million vehicles by 2014. Volkswagen which is already been manufacturing Skoda, Volkswagen and Audi models from its Aurangabad since eight years, is all set to take its root here. Not only this, the company has been investing in the Indian supplier industry and wants to expand its dealer network throughout the country.

Fiat sets up a purchase office in Delhi

Well known Italian car maker Fiat Group has set up a purchasing office in New Delhi as it seeks to source as much Rs1,595 crore worth of auto components from India as the components are cheaper in India.

According to Gianni Coda, Chief Executive Officer of Fiat Group Purchasing, “the company will purchase whatever is possible to buy from India. The company feels that one have to be very competitive in selling cars, selling trucks, selling tractors.

Fiat came to India 50 years ago and at present sells cars through Tata Motors Ltd dealers. By revenues if you see, India is the India is largest auto maker. Indian component makers sell 12-15% cheaper than those from Western Europe.

 

Other foreign car makers like General Motor and Volkswagen are also increasing their sourcing of auto components from low-cost countries in general and India in particular. For instance, GM plans to buy up to Rs 4, 120 crore worth of auto parts every year from India by the turn of the decade.

Luxury time for India

It is a great time for the Indian car buyer with so many new car models both Indian and international car manufacturers. The Indian car market has become so competitive with so many models in the market in every segment.

Take an instant of Volkswagen, the luxury car makers will launching at least two small cars in the Rs. 5 lakh segment in India in the next three-four years, one of which is likely to be the Up! Concept car that was unveiled recently and the other a model from group company Skoda Auto India Pvt. Ltd.

The company has also come up with big expansion plan with an investment of Rs3, 500 crore for India to set up the new plant, which makes it the largest German investment in the country. And also plans to build a vendor park for its suppliers in India at its 575-acre campus at Chakan.

VW’s success in India

One of the leading luxury car makers Volkswagen is a success on the Indian roads. Its leading models like Skoda Octavia and Skoda Laura are witnessing its success in the Indian auto market, the latest models of  

Volkswagen was displayed at the recent Auto Expo, New Delhi.  Their products are already successful in the overseas markets and now Volkswagen plans to mark similar success stories in India.

 

Skoda Fabia, the recent launch is already a great success and is doing good sales too. The company also announced for bigger investments in India for its production line. Their concept car “Up!” set for a commercial launch and will be rolled out by 2012 along with its luxury sedan Phaeton. Skoda Polo will also hit the roads by 2010.

Two more cars for India from Volkswagen

Indians are bit by the luxury car bug. The demand for luxury car in India is so high that the luxury car makers are rolling out their models very often. Now the German automotive giant Volkswagen is planning to bring two small cars to India within the next four years. These small cars will be less than 4m in length and will come with the price tag of around Rs. 5 Lakh.

Among these two car, one of the car would be based on their Up! Concept car and the other would be developed by Skoda. The small car segment is seeing a great growth in the Indian car industry and so is the foreign luxury car maker’s working out a small car strategy to catch up with the trend. The car will be less than 4m in length. The company is also working on plans to develop a new model for India which would be based on their Polo model.