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-   -   Volkswagen Ameo @ Auto Expo 2016. EDIT: Starts at Rs. 5.14 lakhs! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/172918-volkswagen-ameo-auto-expo-2016-edit-starts-rs-5-14-lakhs-9.html)

Few reasons why Ameo will flop :
1) Looks - Yes it sure isn't as proportionate or even half as good looking as Polo even if both look like twins, thanks to that unwanted kink in the rear called a boot.

2) Space - Zero advantage here, zero. Polo has it bad in the rear as it is, Ameo doesn't improve on it nor has a substantial boot-space increase. It sure cannot take on the 400L of Amaze or the 407 of Xcent and both have massive rear space in comparison. YES! The compact sedan should be evaluated purely on practicality and space.

3) 1.2 Litre Petrol 74 hp 3 Cylinder Engine - If the top 2 were not reasons then this surely has to be one. In my view, the worst engine I've ever driven. The sound is more like a rickshaw when going above 60, it is pathetic in terms of torque and each gear struggles to hold speed and to top it off it isn't fuel efficient either. The one engine that never should've gone past the drawing board. Surely wont hold a candle to the 1.2 83hp of Xcent or the Amaze's 1.2 90hp engine even with the poor torque.

Between the Ameo and Polo, Polo should be the choice all day long, VW should stick to its specialty, the GT TSi and TDi are great engines for the Polo. They cannot win the war with the Koreans when it comes to practicality and space.. best is to hold their own in the compact, feature packed, torque-laden hatch segment where there is zero competition.

Seriously, our people need to shake of this false 'Status' tag they associate with the (compact) Sedans. Most of my friends who own a CS use 'its a Sedan' line to justify their purchase. For them, they have moved up the Maslows pyramid by buying a Dzire or an Xcent!

Well, I would prefer a full size Hatch like a Baleno, Polo, i20 or a Punto over these ugly contraptions. Apart from the Kite S none of them look aesthetically appealing. As it is, proper sedans like Vento/Ciaz are Sub Compacts by international standards, aren't they ?

or Else, we should at least collectively appeal to increase the length limit to 4.2 meters so that we don't have to see these eyesores everyday!

coming to Ameo, it doesn't make any sense why VW would try this trick now! Like many mentioned, the market is moving towards large Premium Hatches and Compact SUVs. Considering even a 50K premium over the Polo, this would be an expensive Compact to own, whereas, New launches like Tiago CS will have a Pricing advantage. We will sure find out in the next quarter I guess.

Couldn't agree more with each word you have just spoken. But this line just makes all the more sense.
If the length limit was a healthy 4.2m, the likes of Zest would look more proportionate.
Moreover we would see manufacturers launching bigger hatchbacks, e.g. the Golf, the Focus etc. here.

I tend to differ with the opinions posted by fellow T-BHPians, I guess every individual has different requirements.
Talking about mine, I am looking for a replacement of Swift (used by spouse for commuting) since really long time. She is impressed with the current crops of so called compact SUVs, however nor any CSUV neither any hatchback/compact sedan could fulfill our requirement, which was pretty basic for us; a Diesel with AT transmission.

Yes, TATA offered Zest with so called AMT, however its nowhere near DSG boxes, we are spoiled with. Yes, Ameo is downright UGLY, especially with 3 quarters and back, however it ticks all other options (safety/fuel efficiency/ICE/Diesel/AT etc), anyone can expect from compact car. Not that I will straightway buy it (looks are hard to ignore), however it is indeed a very strong contender.

The Volkswagen Ameo compact sedan will enter production on May 25th, 2016.

According to Overdrive, the first batch of Ameo cars will roll out from Volkswagen's Chakan plant near Pune, Maharashtra, on that date.

Came across app on Google Play store for Ameo. Looks like VW is betting big on Ameo

Link

Had downloaded the App a few days back. Spent some time on it today. Found it to be a good one. Nice interface, easy to navigate, has the info that a potential buyer will be looking for. Especially customers not following the details in the media. Some screenshots and comments below.


Some other small but significant points/thoughts.

• The base Trendline is quite poorly equipped. No Audio System, rear power windows, ACC, Height adjustable seat, remote locking, Anti pinch windows, MID, speed sensing door locks. On the upside, as we already know, gets ABS and Airbags as standard, height adjustable headrests both front and rear and a potentially Polo/Vento like build. Expecting an aggressive starting price for this variant.
  
  
• The Comfortline surprisingly does not get ACC and armrest with rear AC vent, rear parking sensors, Front Fog Lamps. Additionally misses on the obvious top variant features like the Auto IRVM, Touchscreen ICE, Steering controls, Auto Wipers etc...
  
  
• Anyone who wants all the segment first features, will need to go for the Highline.
  
  
• The next point is on the success/failure. I think in general everyone unanimously agrees that this was a bad decision by VW and is headed towards a flop. But the question is as per VW what defines success for them? I don't think they have plans or the capacity for big numbers. Looking at some comments in the press on their capacity and how much it is going to increase due to Ameo, it can be safely inferred that they are targeting around ~2000 units per month- Atleast initially. If they can actually do that without impacting the Polo/Vento numbers, I think VW will be happy.
  
  
• Can they get those numbers? Pretty sure anyone looking at the Aspire will look at this. Those looking for a Diesel AT will definitely look at this as currently the only choices are the AMT's of Zest and Dzire. It will potentially be one of the better Diesels in the segment. Petrol sounds uninspiring, but nothing in the competition that sets the roads on fire. Apart from all this, with the focus on NCAP, the standard ABS and Airbags and the structure of the Polo potentially make it safer (Assumption at this point). Pricing is going to be the key. If competitive, I think it can do the modest numbers VW is looking forward to. Getting 3rd place from the Xcent/Amaze would be a huge win.
  
  
• Of course, ideally they should have got a 1.0/1.2 TSI, made it into a notch-back, or focused on a Compact SUV. Keeping all that aside, working with what they decided and have, the marketing push has started well and looks like there is focus on After Sales with AMC's and Care Packages. Let us see how it pans out.

VW have managed to pull out an illusion :)

Ameo is the same as Polo till the rear three quarter window.

Post that the Polo's roof slopes down as the hatch door after the boot area, while the Ameo's rood slopes down immediately.

So the space that was contained inside the car in the Polo, is now contained inside the boot in Ameo.

So when the need comes to haul luggage, Polo will definitely have more cargo space than Ameo lol:

I guess the best way to prove this, is to measure Roof length of the Polo & the Ameo and the one having a longer roof wins the SPACE battle. lol:

This part that you have pasted from the article made me laugh.. this has gotten real, REAL confusing now. The Polo came in first, and then VW spoke of making Polo with a large boot and called it Vento. Essentially the Vento IS a Polo with a boot, with a slightly better leg-room in the rear and of course the 400+ litre boot-space. Now the Ameo looks identical to the Polo from the front, but both cars are almost identical in length- the Polo is 3970 odd and the Ameo is 3995 odd, just about an inch of difference between the two.

This makes it obvious that unless the front overhang of the Ameo (engine compartment) is about 4-5 inches shorter than that of the Polo which doesn't seem to be the case going by the pictures, the only other way would be to cut the roofline shorter by 2-3 inches, give that flowing C-Pillar effect and then use that extra inch to give that so-called boot effect. Literally the Ameo is a Polo with a boot AND a Vento with a shorter boot. Assuming the boot-space to be the maximum speculated 325 litres, its hardly 30 litres over the Polo and a bit lesser than say the Jazz.

Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing "something".

Ameo production starts, expect a June launch

First production compact sedan from the German car maker has been rolled out of the Chakan facility - Ameo, which is a 1.2-litre petrol engine one.

Pic- ZW



http://www.gaadi.com/news/volkswagen...st-ameo-101204

Volkswagen rolls out first Ameo clap:

Link

Volkswagen Ameo first look video by News Today Live-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlCSjukoA-Y

Thank you AYP for sharing that video. :thumbs up

I noticed the following stuffs:

- I thought that VW were launching Ameo with on the 1.2 MPI engine. This video starts rolling with the 1.5 TDI (updated?) version :Shockked:

- I could be wrong here, but the VW's all new "Boot Polo" does not even offer a boot light ?

- Rear AC vents not only adds to comfort but provides a better sturdiness to the Armrest up front. I have had GT for about 2 years and the AC is not the best aspect of this car. So now if they are fitting a rear AC vent, they must have increased the compressor size. Wouldn't this will make the already puny 1.2 MPI struggle on inclines with 4 adults & AC turned on?

- Even the 1.2 MPI engine gets a sound proofing under the bonnet. is this to improve the in-cabin refinement or even VW felt the 3 cylinder motor is just too vocal for a Petrol motor?

- Lastly and probably the most surprising is the fact that Ameo suddenly looks a bit comical to me in the video, which it never did in any of the earlier pictures. Could be that I am just used to seeing a Polo & Vento which look timeless in their own sense, and this in-between design seems to have a serious identity crisis!!

You are completely wrong on the torque part.
I have both polo 1.2 MPI and i10 1.2 in my garage side by side.
The polo is better to drive in the city because of better torque in the low rpms. Between 1k to 2k, the torque is much better than the i10, which comes alive only after 2K rpm.

The power delivery is very smooth and linear unlike other 3 cyls out there.
And on the highway, the polo can do 140 without any issues due to it's sleek body. Our i10 labours at 140+ speed inspite of having more horses, due to the tall boy shape.

It is a widely accepted fact that Honda 1.2 has no torque at all below 2K. However, after 2K it is different animal altogether.
But, I am not a rev-crazy guy. I like to keep things silent and smooth, and dont like to cane the engine every time to make progress. That is why Polo 1.2 is better for my driving style.

And finally, Even though the polo's refinement is not good, it definitely does not sound like a rickshaw. :uncontrol