[vb-saan]

I welcome this move. Infact the 1.6 TDI option should have been there in the Polo from day 1. I am sure there will be buyers who really don’t need a sedan, but probably went for a sedan (say Vento) just because the hatchback only had a 3-pot.

That said, naming the 105ps 1.6 TDI a GTD is a bit far-fetched. In my opinion, those tags (GTD, GTI, GLI etc.) should be reserved for true-blue performance machines.

[GTO]

Whenever anyone asks me why hot hatches don't sell in India, I always answer "Because they were all petrol!". Drive a 100 BHP petrol hard and it'll give you 7 kpl. That's enough for the car to be treated like a disease in the market. Diesels, on the other hand, can be acceptably fuel-efficient even with a heavy right foot.

The sore point with the Polo diesel was always its 3-cylinder motor. On the other hand, VW's 1.6L TDI is easily an all-rounder. Fast, efficient and good driveability. I'm only wondering why VW took so long.

Bring it on! I have a feeling this might just be the best hatchback in India.

Fun, related read here

[drmohitg]

I think this would be a masterpiece from the VW stable. The Polo has always had those looks of a hot hatch and infact I personally find it the best looking out of the lot. With a 1.6 TDI engine it would also have the heart to match its looks. Being a diesel no one will mind the low FE since even a FE of 9-10 will be sufficient owing to the cheaper fuel price to begin with. Anything this side of 10L OTR and it can be a run away hit with the enthusiasts and youngsters alike.

[amitg79]

Just to put some visuals in this thread. I found these through google. Looks positively yummy, doesn't it?

Is the Polo GTD actually available in any market in the world? I could not get any information on this. All I got was the Golf GTD, which has the Passat's 170 bhp TDI.

[VishnuNarayanan]

VW Polo GTD would surely be a eye opener for other manufacturers to bring in hot hatchbacks like Fiesta hatch, Swift sport etc to India. I am of the view that there would be a fairly good audience for this GTD variant if VW prices it in par with Punto 90HP.
The 3 pot diesel engine powering the Polo diverts a lot of prospective customers to other competitors. Its high time for VW India to bring in the GTD variant !

[Mpower]

Fantastic news, but my fear is that it will be priced so close to the Vento that people might find more value to going for the sedan instead.

Regardless, as a car it will ROCK ! Now we just need that Gti bodykit to go with it.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Fantastic news, but my fear is that it will be priced so close to the Vento that people might find more value to going for the sedan instead.

Well VW would have to bring something different to the table. If its practically the same Polo with just a different engine and priced bang in the Vento territory then a lot of people would rather opt for the sedan since the engine specs would be almost the same for both the cars. But if they add a well designed body kit, spice up the interiors and make it look sporty then the Polo would get its own unique USP and would surely find takers.

[msmatic]

If they can launch it with an auto box, then it will be a complete game-changer, and will carve out a niche segment for itself. A diesel AT is the need of the hour, does VW recognize this opportunity ??

[pradyblr]

Awesome!! Here is a car that I badly want to get my hands on for a long test drive. Own - hmm. definitely not till VW service improve leaps and bounds!!!

[akhil_rpmlover]

Originally Posted by vb-san

That said, naming the 105ps 1.6 TDI a GTD is a bit far-fetched. In my opinion, those tags (GTD, GTI, GLI etc.) should be reserved for true-blue performance machines.

. But, in a market like ours, even this is a bit of a performance machine. Giving this tag alone will make it famous and fetch some buyers for VW. But, VW didnt called the 1.6 anything . For a common man, a 1.6 badge alone isn't enough to distinguish it from a normal variant. I only wish they could change a few things more like headlamps or tail-lamps and an optional body kit as well.

[nitrous]

If it was underbored/stroked to a 1.5, it could avail the 8% excise exemption.
This would also enable it to be priced lucratively.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by nitrous

If it was underbored/stroked to a 1.5, it could avail the 8% excise exemption.
This would also enable it to be priced lucratively.

From what I have read, 1.5L will come in late 2013 or 2014. VW is looking to build the brand and not really looking at volumes is what some auto mags are claiming.

Now what I have noticed from the previos posts:

The 1.6L petrol version was priced at a 40K (?) over 1.2L petrol even after losing massive excise concessions which proves VW never really bothered to pass the benefits to the customers for the 1.2L variant. Otherwise, they would have priced the 1.6 much higher.

Mostly, the 1.6L is going to be a limited time offering to bridge the gap till 1.5L launches. Why such a strategy & not bring the 1.5L straight? My guess - 1.6L will be priced at a premium. Gauging the response, 1.5L will be priced accordingly. If the 1.6 meets a decent success, they should price even the 1.5L at the similar price points. That means they will make a bigger profit with those duty exemptions. If the response for 1.6L is moderate, price the 1.5L at discounted rates with thinner margins & issue a statement to fool customers that they are indeed passing the benefits to customers & hence reduced prices.

[srishiva]

Welcome news. But with tweaks to the suspension, wheels etc, I think the market could be very limited (due to price) and wonder how long VW's enthusiasm might last.

[undead]

wow. great news. A worthy replacement for my rocket hatch Getz Crdi.

[neerajpv87]

Earlier a 1.2 TSI with GTI badging was spotted testing, and now this 1.6 GTDI. Which one's gonna get launched? Or would both never see daylight?