VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled!

engine_charan · 22nd January 2016, 00:01

VW Ameo will not win any beauty competition. If Honda Amaze, Tata Zest and Hyundai Xcent can sell, I don't see any reason why this car will not sell. I will not involve Swift Dzire because it is a segment leader and it is MARUTI.
I personally feel it looks good. No one can beat the build quality of VW and this should be their selling point. But, however they need to price is very competitively like lower than Swift Dzire. I will also hold my thoughts and assumption till I see the car in flesh

gopi_rm · 22nd January 2016, 01:12

It would have been better if VW had designed Ameo as the notchback. The boot lid design looks similar to Verito.

motorworks · 22nd January 2016, 06:54

The compact sedan customer isn't looking for good looks else we wouldn't have Dzire, Xcent, Amaze and zest raking up the numbers they do. VW's disadvantage here is only that their service and showroom reach is not even 20% of a Maruti or Hyundai.

And for all those saying VW should have done a notchback, I don't think that's what a typical compact sedan customer wants. It would have been very risky for VW to attempt a notch back since their volumes are already low and a proper compact sedan could actually spruce up their numbers a little bit. A notch back would have fallen in no man's land with neither the enthusiasts lining up for it nor the regular CS customer due to perceptions.

Pricing is the key, there is no way the Ameo would be cheaper than the existing ones, might be a little expensive, but I would say a premium of 30-40k is worth it.

swiftdiesel · 22nd January 2016, 09:48

Not bad and I actually like its balanced proportions. Classy VW design cues with sharp geometric lines make it look seriously well balanced. Ameo is an interesting choice of name and bodes well with the VW line up. After the KUV100, I reckon every design out there would look good, but, seriously, this is one good looking sedan. A GTD version would look hot.

daniel_sam · 22nd January 2016, 10:36

Quote:

What is the logic here ? Why would people stop buying Vento or Polo ?

The point is, IMHO Vento and Polo are the best looking cars in their class. Vento with the latest facelift looks absolutely stunning. Both are positioned as premium cars and the clean proportional design was one of the reasons that attracted buyers. Suddenly you have a car with an odd proportion and a hurried design sharing almost 90% of the body panels with the premium sedan that you desired or own. That will definitely impact the brand image of the Vento and Polo.

It is similar to what Samsung does with their top end phones. They launch their flagship phone for around 50K and 2 months down the line, to capture market share, they will launch cheaper models which looks exactly like their flagship at 50% of the top end phone's price. And wherever you look people are using the cheaper model. For a third party, at one look it is difficult to tell whether one is using the flagship or its cheaper cousin. So people will think twice before going for the top end phone.

I don't know whether this make sense but this is what came to my mind as soon as I saw the Ameo scoop pictures.

McLaren Rulez · 22nd January 2016, 11:40

It isn't easy to judge what it looks like based on that one photo. You really need multiple angles + environmental perspective to get a feel for a design.

That said, I think it looks quite alright given the general design standards of the CS segment. Certainly, enough to pull a few more customers into VW showrooms.

dheepak10 · 22nd January 2016, 12:06

Looks quite balanced and proportioned IMO - width is the key here!!

The Polo already being 3970 mm long, this CS avatar will hardly make a difference except that it would have 350 odd liters of boot space in comparison to Polo's 295 liter boot.

That said, pricing would be the key here for the Ameo to make any impact in this segment.

volkman10 · 22nd January 2016, 14:41

VW's Ameo begins production in India.

VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled!-volkswagenameoreadytoleaveforitsworldpremiere660x330.jpg

Quote:

Production of the Ameo has commenced at the Pune plant and this new product is expected to be available across showrooms soon after its launch.

http://www.shifting-gears.com/2016/0...gins-in-india/

RSR · 22nd January 2016, 18:06

Although the Vento's classic sedan proportions have gone for a toss, I believe the Ameo has turned out to be better than I expected or imagined.

Given the fact that Polo itself is quite close to the 4m mark, the designers have done quite well to convert it into a three-box car (even if the boot looks stubby). Compare this with another sub-4m sedan (Mahindra Verito Vibe) derived out of a near 4m hatchback (previous generation Renault/Dacia Sandero), and you'll understand why I'm appreciating Volkswagen designers. The VW Ameo may not win any design award, but thankfully it's far from being hideously-ugly-cum-shockingly-impractical.

The only two gripes I have with the design are the very slim rear bumper (unfortunately, this is quite the norm for sub-4m sedans) and the flattened, almost cuboidal boot design to maximise cargo volume, similar to Hyundai's Xcent (although the Xcent's boot does have some very subtle curves that try to make the cuboid less obvious). On the other hand, the Ameo's tail lamp design only makes the cuboidal boot more obvious.

All said and done, I think the Ameo is going to play an important part in Volkswagen's India line-up. For now, it will play the role of a sub-4m sedan that's more "premium" than the rest. Remember that the Ameo is the only sub-4m compact sedan to be derived out of a near 4m premium hatchback (Polo). All the rest are derived out of hatchbacks that are less or well less than 3.9 m in length (Bolt, Brio, new Figo, Indica V2 , Grand i10, Swift) and which don't directly compete against Polo in the (mainstream) premium hatchback category.

So a higher price tag would be justified for the Ameo compared to its sub-4m rivals, as long as VW equip it adequately (which they seem to have done).

The Ameo will continue to slug it out in the sub-4m sedan segment long after the Polo and Vento have been replaced by their (presumably more expensive) next generation successors. When one takes this into consideration, we can see why VW are jumping into the sub-4m fray with the Ameo now.

What happened to the rumoured 1.0 TSI petrol? There seems to be no mention of it in recent scoops!?

Rajeevraj · 22nd January 2016, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by RSR

What happened to the rumoured 1.0 TSI petrol? There seems to be no mention of it in recent scoops!?

I think the 1.0 tsi is looking unlikely. The rumors say that production has started. If that is the case we should have seen the import info for the 1.0 tsi engine on zauba. Even if the market launch is sometime away, we should have still seen something for the test mules. The only 1.0 tsi engine is the Polo 1.0 tsi full car that was imported in November.

Not sure if the zauba import data can be used to rule it out though. Would love to be proved wrong.

There is plenty of data on the 1.2 tsi import though. Hence the comparison with 1.0 tsi.

Hope they don't mess up and not launch the 1.2 tsi dsg. That would be a huge blunder.

Rajeevraj · 22nd January 2016, 20:09

Latest teaser for the Ameo(No shot of the car though). What if German engineers make jilebi. German precision meets Indian culture.

https://youtu.be/v0z5qTbtPI4

Rajeevraj · 26th January 2016, 09:34

Latest one. German Engineers making Rangoli. Looks like its a series.

https://youtu.be/dIBjKUFYZ2U

Rajeevraj · 27th January 2016, 19:03

Next one. German Engineers making Masala Chai. Getting a little repetitive. I think we get the point-German Engineering has met Indian Culture. Can we have some teasers with the car please?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL58...ature=youtu.be

Vik0728 · 27th January 2016, 19:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Next one. German Engineers making Masala Chai. Getting a little repetitive. I think we get the point-German Engineering has met Indian Culture. Can we have some teasers with the car please?

I swear bro, this is really getting ridiculous now

For all these "INDIAN-ised" promotions, I really hope VW can deliver the product and not goof up with a disproportionate and ugly looking sub 4m sedan.

P.S - With all these 'For India' ads around, VW cannot end up with a car that is built like the ones from a Tata/Maruti stable, just to make Indians feel at home !!

Yeldo · 27th January 2016, 21:43

I really hate to make a comment that adds little value to the topic being discussed.

But seeing the promotional ads, I cannot help asking:

Precision Masala Chai? Why is it being prepared in a laboratory and why are the Germans (?) wearing protective eye wear? Are those Chai fumes toxic?

And is it necessary to have a Precision Jelebi, and if yes, why does it have to look like an orange colored mosquito coil?

22nd January 2016, 00:01	#151
engine_charan BHPian Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: Bangalore Posts: 43 Thanked: 56 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! VW Ameo will not win any beauty competition. If Honda Amaze, Tata Zest and Hyundai Xcent can sell, I don't see any reason why this car will not sell. I will not involve Swift Dzire because it is a segment leader and it is MARUTI. I personally feel it looks good. No one can beat the build quality of VW and this should be their selling point. But, however they need to price is very competitively like lower than Swift Dzire. I will also hold my thoughts and assumption till I see the car in flesh
	() Thanks

22nd January 2016, 01:12	#152
gopi_rm BHPian Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Deutschland Posts: 235 Thanked: 511 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! It would have been better if VW had designed Ameo as the notchback. The boot lid design looks similar to Verito.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2016, 06:54	#153
motorworks Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,805 Thanked: 4,076 Times View My Garage	The compact sedan customer isn't looking for good looks else we wouldn't have Dzire, Xcent, Amaze and zest raking up the numbers they do. VW's disadvantage here is only that their service and showroom reach is not even 20% of a Maruti or Hyundai. And for all those saying VW should have done a notchback, I don't think that's what a typical compact sedan customer wants. It would have been very risky for VW to attempt a notch back since their volumes are already low and a proper compact sedan could actually spruce up their numbers a little bit. A notch back would have fallen in no man's land with neither the enthusiasts lining up for it nor the regular CS customer due to perceptions. Pricing is the key, there is no way the Ameo would be cheaper than the existing ones, might be a little expensive, but I would say a premium of 30-40k is worth it.
	(3) Thanks

22nd January 2016, 09:48	#154
swiftdiesel Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: na Posts: 1,015 Thanked: 1,354 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! Not bad and I actually like its balanced proportions. Classy VW design cues with sharp geometric lines make it look seriously well balanced. Ameo is an interesting choice of name and bodes well with the VW line up. After the KUV100, I reckon every design out there would look good, but, seriously, this is one good looking sedan. A GTD version would look hot.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2016, 11:40	#156
McLaren Rulez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Mysore Posts: 3,390 Thanked: 5,107 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! It isn't easy to judge what it looks like based on that one photo. You really need multiple angles + environmental perspective to get a feel for a design. That said, I think it looks quite alright given the general design standards of the CS segment. Certainly, enough to pull a few more customers into VW showrooms.
	(2) Thanks

22nd January 2016, 12:06	#157
dheepak10 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Mississauga, ON Posts: 351 Thanked: 550 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! Looks quite balanced and proportioned IMO - width is the key here!! The Polo already being 3970 mm long, this CS avatar will hardly make a difference except that it would have 350 odd liters of boot space in comparison to Polo's 295 liter boot. That said, pricing would be the key here for the Ameo to make any impact in this segment.
	() Thanks

22nd January 2016, 18:06	#159
RSR Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,803 Thanked: 6,579 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! Although the Vento's classic sedan proportions have gone for a toss, I believe the Ameo has turned out to be better than I expected or imagined. Given the fact that Polo itself is quite close to the 4m mark, the designers have done quite well to convert it into a three-box car (even if the boot looks stubby). Compare this with another sub-4m sedan (Mahindra Verito Vibe) derived out of a near 4m hatchback (previous generation Renault/Dacia Sandero), and you'll understand why I'm appreciating Volkswagen designers. The VW Ameo may not win any design award, but thankfully it's far from being hideously-ugly-cum-shockingly-impractical. The only two gripes I have with the design are the very slim rear bumper (unfortunately, this is quite the norm for sub-4m sedans) and the flattened, almost cuboidal boot design to maximise cargo volume, similar to Hyundai's Xcent (although the Xcent's boot does have some very subtle curves that try to make the cuboid less obvious). On the other hand, the Ameo's tail lamp design only makes the cuboidal boot more obvious. All said and done, I think the Ameo is going to play an important part in Volkswagen's India line-up. For now, it will play the role of a sub-4m sedan that's more "premium" than the rest. Remember that the Ameo is the only sub-4m compact sedan to be derived out of a near 4m premium hatchback (Polo). All the rest are derived out of hatchbacks that are less or well less than 3.9 m in length (Bolt, Brio, new Figo, Indica V2 , Grand i10, Swift) and which don't directly compete against Polo in the (mainstream) premium hatchback category. So a higher price tag would be justified for the Ameo compared to its sub-4m rivals, as long as VW equip it adequately (which they seem to have done). The Ameo will continue to slug it out in the sub-4m sedan segment long after the Polo and Vento have been replaced by their (presumably more expensive) next generation successors. When one takes this into consideration, we can see why VW are jumping into the sub-4m fray with the Ameo now. What happened to the rumoured 1.0 TSI petrol? There seems to be no mention of it in recent scoops!? Last edited by RSR : 22nd January 2016 at 18:13.
	(2) Thanks

27th January 2016, 21:43	#165
Yeldo BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kochi Posts: 764 Thanked: 783 Times	re: VW's Polo-based compact sedan, Ameo unveiled! I really hate to make a comment that adds little value to the topic being discussed. But seeing the promotional ads, I cannot help asking: Precision Masala Chai? Why is it being prepared in a laboratory and why are the Germans (?) wearing protective eye wear? Are those Chai fumes toxic? And is it necessary to have a Precision Jelebi, and if yes, why does it have to look like an orange colored mosquito coil?
	(9) Thanks