[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by volkman10

It is in the VW homepage,

Yes that I saw. Comment was more towards the poor marketing approach. Since everything about the Ameo is India focused, they should have done this with a little more style and bling with media invited like the others do as opposed to this cool efficient 'German' way. 😂

On the plus side. I went to carwale to look for Aspire price and see which add popped up.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by volkman10

It is in the VW homepage, as speculated launch is in Petrol and MT variant only- Diesel/DSG Variant to come later.

As a current Polo owner, I fail to understand what VW intends to solve by the Ameo other than simply having one additional product in their portfolio.

None of the Polo owners I know of complain of boot space. In fact I went for the Polo GT because of it's engine and adequate boot space. However the legroom in the rear is a serious concern and the only reason why I occasionally contemplate selling it off. The Ameo does not address this serious short coming. And launching it with that lacklustre 3 cyl petrol.

You fix the serious deficiencies of a product and not strengthen it's strength. I see another low selling VW product.

I don't think they need to add the diesel variant. Quietly giving the car a burial would be the best course of action.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[swiftnfurious]

Good pricing by VW! Hope this product creates some ripples to shake the kings of the segment. Am kinda lost on the variants though. Don't we have the DSG on petrol? I don't see a price for that I guess.

And is it the 1.2 TSI DSG? The manual one is the 3 cylinder petrol ?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Don't we have the DSG on petrol? I don't see a price for that I guess.

No 1.2 TSI engine and no DSG on the petrol variant. Only engines are the 1.2 MPI and 1.5 TDI (to be released later with the 5 speed manual and the 7 speed DSG).

[RavenAvi]

Here's how the Ameo 1.2L petrol stacks up against it's immediate competition, prices and specs-wise:

- All prices are in ex-showroom, Delhi. Metallic shade cars will cost extra.
- The Tata Zest is the only petrol car in this segment equipped with a turbocharger.
- Note that the Volkswagen Ameo is the only 3-cylinder petrol in it's segment. Rest are all 4-cylinder petrols.

[adimicra]

I don't understand such positive reactions on Team BHP.
What is so great about the pricing? VW priced it at par with other cars in the segment more or less. May be because it's a "German" car.

The point to note here is that the Ameo is the only car in the segment with an archaic 3-pot motor which can't match the refinement and performance of other cars in the segment. So, forgetting all the detailed comparisons of the minutest of features like sunglass holder or glove box light, this car can't match it's rivals in the engine itself and that itself is a huge disadvantage in a segment where we have so many well established players. And if Ameo has the same legroom as the Polo, I wonder how many units it will move!

[redcruiser]

I hope that VW have not compromised on the build quality of the car for better fuel efficiency. Do we have ARAI figures yet?

[lapis_lazuli]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

No 1.2 TSI engine and no DSG on the petrol variant. Only engines are the 1.2 MPI and 1.5 TDI (to be released later with the 5 speed manual and the 7 speed DSG).

Gannu, IMHO, this segment does not require it; at most, it might appear as a statistic : have/don't have!

The guy who is looking at an added utility of a "boot", at a hatch cost, is hardly interested in the DSG () or the TSI! He wants a German Xcent (or not?)

The "deejal" for sure!!

[mxh]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

No 1.2 TSI engine and no DSG on the petrol variant. Only engines are the 1.2 MPI and 1.5 TDI (to be released later with the 5 speed manual and the 7 speed DSG).

I don't know why VW persists with that 74bhp petrol engine. They really need to update this engine since it's neither good for fuel efficiency nor performance.

[Tanveer_2558]

Kudos to VW, They have priced it perfectly i feel specially when it includes features like Airbags + ABS, Cruise control and rain sensing wiper and comes with a german built quality

I personally don't at all like the rear look of the car, Even the leg space looks to be a little cramped.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by adimicra

I don't understand such positive reactions on Team BHP.
What is so great about the pricing? VW priced it at par with other cars in the segment more or less. May be because it's a "German" car.

Just sharing my thoughts on this. Right from the time the details about the Ameo and its planned launch was known, everyone has been unanimous in the opinion that this car stands no chance and is a Dead on Arrival product. A 1.0 or 1.2 TSI Manual would have set it apart, this also did not happen. In general the fact that it is going to be a poor seller still holds true and no one (including VW-Who I think have a modest target of 1500 units per month) expects it to become a block-buster.

In order to give a fighting chance to what is a flawed product at the wrong place at the wrong time, it was imperative that VW get some things right. The decent feature list and good build quality have been talked about. But the pricing was critical. With this product they could not afford to ask for a 'German' Premium, which they have not done. The base version is almost the cheapest among all the competition and although poorly equipped, comes with ABS and Airbags as standard.Not to forget the fact that the base Ameo is cheaper than the base Polo, If nothing, it will get people to sit up and take notice of this car.

The petrol has the least power and is a 3 pot, but if you look at the torque numbers(assuming Polo numbers), it is on par with the competition (excluding the Zest which is a turbo petrol) and makes that peak torque lower in the rev range compared to competition-Which means for a layman, drivability will not be worse compared to the others.

In spite of this, for a petrol, probably the Ameo is not the one to buy, but the good pricing of the petrol ensures one thing, it means that the diesel and the diesel DSG will also be well priced, and unlike the petrol, the diesel, especially if it comes with the updated engine with higher power and torque, will have best in segment numbers. It also means that the Diesel DSG will be well priced and it looks very likely that a Highline Diesel DSG can be had at ~9L Ex-showroom (all assumptions of course). Today we have only diesel AMT's in this space and actual Diesel Automatics now cost 12-13L.

So personally, that's where my positivism on the pricing comes from. It gives the car some chance to get noticed and sets the stage for competitive pricing for the diesel and AT where it can be segment leading. Of course another misstep in not launching the diesel immediately even if it were with the current engine.

[AYP]

This is excellent pricing by VW. I'd gladly pick this up over the other diesel compact sedans and the premium hatchbacks except for maybe the i20(considering 1-1.2 lakhs premium for the diesel variant). Also, I would pick this up only if I have the moolah for the top-end variant. As in typical VW fashion, the lower variants are poorly equipped.

Originally Posted by adimicra

I don't understand such positive reactions on Team BHP.
What is so great about the pricing? VW priced it at par with other cars in the segment more or less. May be because it's a "German" car.

The point to note here is that the Ameo is the only car in the segment with an archaic 3-pot motor which can't match the refinement and performance of other cars in the segment. So, forgetting all the detailed comparisons of the minutest of features like sunglass holder or glove box light, this car can't match it's rivals in the engine itself and that itself is a huge disadvantage in a segment where we have so many well established players. And if Ameo has the same legroom as the Polo, I wonder how many units it will move!

What makes the pricing look good is the fact that this is the only car in the segment to be based on a 'premium' hatch. Almost a compact Vento. All the other compact sedans are based on the B-2 segment hatches and the majority of us were anticipating a 'premium' price for this one.
You are right about the petrol engine being lacklustre. But still, it is based on a premium hatchback Polo. If we into account the engine to see if this car is overpriced then we will have to apply the same thing to Polo and say that it does not justify the premium hatch tag.

But assuming a premium of 1-1.2 lakhs for the diesel, I think that the diesel is a great VFM. A 1.5 TDI engine in a compact sedan with Polo/Vento levels of quality priced at par with the compact sedans based on B-2 segment hatchbacks is indeed a job well done by VW. Not to forget the DSG automatic in a segment full of AMTs.

I do hope that the legroom is improved atleast marginally if not drastically.

[deetjohn]

I guess it's a case of honest pricing from VW.

For one, Ameo should cost less than Polo to manufacture. Compact sedans save a bit on BOM compared to hatchbacks.

And VW is pretty late to the party. I feel Compact sedans are losing steam compared to the premium hatchbacks. The market is no longer averse to picking competent hatchbacks for 10 big ones or so. And I am glad it's happening. That's how matured markets should behave.

I would pick the Polo over Ameo anyday. Just like how the Swift, i20 or Jazz gets my vote. A little loss of space in the boot is totally manageable.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by AYP

What makes the pricing look good is the fact that this is the only car in the segment to be based on a 'premium' hatch.

Although I'd agree with this regarding the GT twins, the base petrol variants of Polo that's now launched in the Ameo would only fall in the Swift category, and not the premium class occupied by the Baleno and the Elite i20. Going by the Polo experience, interior space would be limited as well.

Ameo has a very tough job on its hands, and the petrol is priced along with the competition, not below them. I doubt it would make any impact on the segment till the diesel comes along!

[volkman10]

VW India confirms Ameo diesel with more powerful 110hp 1.5 diesel coming this Diwali.

VW Ameo's front overhang is 35mm less than the Polo. This has helped lengthen the boot section.

Source - ACI