[Screwdriva]

Yep, you read correct. VW removed some interior chrome and the leather wrapped steering, increased local content and then raised the price to nearly 11 lakhs on road Mumbai.

Way to go VW!! I'm sure the new Verna will seem like an even better deal thanks to your product planning idiots!!H

[drmohitg]

This is old news buddy. And less features means what? Apart from the chrome at 2 places the rest of the car is the same. And the price rise is a necessity with the rising input costs.

[NevGin]

I agree with Doc. Sign of the times my friend. Input costs are out of whack as is everything from chalk to cheese. However jump of 30K is seriously significant! Definitely could alter fortunes.

[noopster]

FYI the price increase of 25K or so was in the pipeline for a while now. There have been no "deletions" officially but the fact is that some of the chrome garnishing etc. has been sacrificed in the quest for localisation.

There was a rumour floating about a possible refresh accompanying the price hike but turned out it was untrue- the refresh will only come around Apr 2012: with or without another price hike unclear yet.

[kaush666]

I read in one of the Vento ownership reviews that the power window button on the lock/unlock remote has been omitted. Dunno how far this is true. Can anybody confirm whether this is true?

[bala80]

And the Chrome bits in the head light switches are back (mine is a june manufactured vento), however the leather wrapping and the steering chrome insert are lost due to localization (I miss them both!).

Agreed an increase of 25k was steep considering the non-addition of any features, but then, verna has its own negatives too and hence it all boils down to individual priorities. I, for one prefered the Vento over the Verna -VFM is very subjective and varies from person to person. If you feel Verna suits your need better, it will look to be more VFM option compared to the Vento and that is perfectly understandable.

FYI - Recently, there was an increase of VAT in TN by 2% which has resulted in an increment of 37k from the old ex-showroom price of vento TDI highline (9.6 Lakhs), Not to forget the road tax which is 10% for vehicles less than 10 lakhs and 15% for vehicles more than 10 lakhs. There is still a waiting period of atleast 6 - 8 months (I'm not joking!) for the TDI highline model here!

Edit - Kaush666 - You are talking about my case probably, I think it is a one off case and I need to have it checked by the workshop. I dont think it's omitted since I have verified this with another colleague who took delivery of his car recently. Its very much available and working.

[oxyzen]

Well there is also free insurance or acessories or similar stuffs thrown in. Recent ad in newspaper. Posted in team-BHP too. So how is the 25K increase too much?

[el lobo 6061]

I'm not able to understand whats going on at VW Chakan. One day one part goes missing from the Vento for a month or more and then reappears later. Is there any insider who can give us a clear idea of whats there and whats not.
Or is it the production house decides today we shall put these items on the car and tomorrow we will not. Consumer is taken for a great ride. There websites mentions everything is there but it is not.
Few Vento's have autolock at speed over 15 Kmph but mine doesn't, why so? no answer. Chalti ka naam gaadi.

[evilshantanu]

I test drove the Verna yesterday, their top end CRDI model. Trust me, these missing chrome parts will do no damage to Vento. Verna is just a "gadgetty" Toy (IMHO, No offence to the Verna owners here) and the initial torque and handling is nowhere compared to the Vento

[ghodlur]

This 30K increase of cost of Vento I guess would be on the ex-showroom price which will result in increase of the registration cost, Insurance etc. So wouldn't there be an increase of atleast more than 50K on the OTR cost of Vento.

Also in places like in Thane where Octroi charges is also considered the actual cost might be even more.

[jesal]

glad i got mine in january. i noticed i cant drive cars without leather steering they just feel too crappy in hands. too much cheap plastic is given in cars under 8 laks if noticed. vento base model wheels ive not seen yet so cant comment

[kar.carthik]

Basically the Europeans and Japs create these artificial price hikes just to increase margins or it is just to demand a premium for their brand over the others.

[bala80]

All discounts/offers are available only on petrol models. Also, the price increase was only on the diesel variants, whereas the petrol versions were left untouched.

And personally to me, even after 25k increase on the TDI variants, this car is very desirable in its segment.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

Well there is also free insurance or acessories or similar stuffs thrown in. Recent ad in newspaper. Posted in team-BHP too. So how is the 25K increase too much?

Actually, Noopster has explained the reason behind this in the test drive thread. It was because of some supplier parts issue and it has now been sorted out. The chrome bit is back on the headlight switches, however the steering miss are due to localization and they are never going to come back (Sad!)

And yeah, auto-lock puzzle doesnt have an answer to it yet. Hoping some polo/vento owner will come up with the solution to this pretty soon.

Originally Posted by el lobo 6061

I'm not able to understand whats going on at VW Chakan. One day one part goes missing from the Vento for a month or more and then reappears later. Is there any insider who can give us a clear idea of whats there and whats not.
Few Vento's have autolock at speed over 15 Kmph but mine doesn't, why so? no answer

[Screwdriva]

Is it just me or have we really let some of these manufacturers get away with murder?

Rising input costs? What kind of joke is that? Product planning for any new launch factors input cost increases for up to a year, sometimes more, when determining a launch price.

If anything, I'd bet that VW's costs have come down, given the increased supply of local content. For instance, when the Polo was initially launched, it had 25% local componentry. Now its more than double that.

If anything I would have thought that VW would have increased trim levels across those platforms. Instead, they seem to have paved the way for the competition.

For those of you who love German cars, know that I own several (including the new VWs). When I drove this revised Vento, it left me feeling empty, a feeling the new Verna cured within 10 minutes of sitting in the cabin.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Screwdriva

For those of you who love German cars, know that I own several (including the new VWs). When I drove this revised Vento, it left me feeling empty, a feeling the new Verna cured within 10 minutes of sitting in the cabin.

I guess it boils down to what a person is looking for in a car. The ANHV didn't do anything for me. The rear seat is a strict no for me and I cant fathom the ides of my family sitting in that cramped claustrophobic cabin.