[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Epic

Looking at the headlight assembly in the pics, it does not look like the car has projector headlamps with DRLs. That is a shame for a car costing 15+ lakhs.

If they're looking to keep it under 20 lakhs (on the road), they'd have no other option but to skip these features. If you look closely, you'd notice that it wears smaller (16") alloy wheels and it's missing a sunroof (noticeable on the other GTIs spotted previously).

Perhaps these features will be offered as optional extras?

It will be interesting to see what else VW has done to keep costs down. My guess is that they have fiddled with the interior plastics and have retained some of the hard / scratchy stuff we often see in the garden-variety Polos.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

If they're looking to keep it under 20 lakhs (on the road), they'd have no other option but to skip these features. If you look closely, you'd notice that it wears smaller (16") alloy wheels and it's missing a sunroof (noticeable on the other GTIs spotted previously).

Perhaps these features will be offered as optional extras?

It will be interesting to see what else VW has done to keep costs down. My guess is that they have fiddled with the interior plastics and have retained some of the hard / scratchy stuff we often see in the garden-variety Polos.

The Skoda Rapid comes with projector headlamps for crying out loud. It's not really the features but simply the taxes on CBUs that is making them compromise standard stuff which should be available on 15+ lakh car.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Epic

The Skoda Rapid comes with projector headlamps for crying out loud. It's not really the features but simply the taxes on CBUs that is making them compromise standard stuff which should be available on 15+ lakh car.

Maybe.

Oh, this version of the Polo does not come with regular projectors that you find on the Rapid. It comes with all-LED headlights and they are pretty expensive.

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Perhaps these features will be offered as optional extras?

Better that way, to be honest. I'd rather have the power to choose the options I want and not pay for the unnecessary ones.

Not just on the GTI, as long as the economy of scale benefits aren't affected, I'd like to see more features move from standard to optional on every car.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Maybe.

Oh, this version of the Polo does not come with regular projectors that you find on the Rapid. It comes with all-LED headlights and they are pretty expensive.

LEDs without projectors - same difference

I don't know if it is only me, but I have always found HIDs in projectors to give better lighting than LEDs in reflector headlamps or in projectors for that matter.

[volkman10]

Volkswagen imports another 1.8 Polo ,

Likely to launch GTI's in various configurations? Observe the declared value of both the models



Earlier imported GTI in 2015,




Source- Zauba

[Tapish]

I rented a Golf 1.4 TSI last week and it was a hoot to drive. What baffles me about the Polo GTI strategy is that they could have easily plonked the 1.4 TSI (already doing duty in the Jetta) and made it in India for a probable cost of around 12 lakhs. The engine puts out close to 145 BHP and would have been a worthy upgrade within the budget of a lot of people.

If they really wanted to go the CBU route, they should have introduced Golf GTI so that people should at least have a reason to plonk 20 big ones. Polo is frankly a little long in the tooth now.

Tapish

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Tapish

If they really wanted to go the CBU route, they should have introduced Golf GTI so that people should at least have a reason to plonk 20 big ones. Polo is frankly a little long in the tooth now.

Sure. I've been screaming for the Golf!

In international terms though, both models date back to 1974/75, with the Golf coming first (Wikkipedia quick check, so don't rely on those dates). The Golf is longer in the tooth, although yet to be even born here.

Amazing to realise that these cars have been around for forty years!

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

In international terms though, both models date back to 1974/75, with the Golf coming first (Wikkipedia quick check, so don't rely on those dates). The Golf is longer in the tooth, although yet to be even born here.

Good catch there!

The lack of any significant facelift since its introduction means that the Polo GTI looks almost identical to the 5 year old 3 pot Polo. In a market like ours, where GTI will cost as much as 3 (kind of) hot hatches combined, there needs to be some differentiation. In the US, a Golf can be had for around 18k$ (absolute base of market- Corolla, Elantra +10%) and a GTI goes for 25k$ (Not too high. 50% price premium on regular Golf). In India, they are looking to introduce GTI at 100% price premium to Polo TSI almost touching D+ segment.

I want this to succeed, but somewhere I also want it to fail to show manufacturers they need to treat us at par with the rest of the world.

Tapish

[Thad E Ginathom]

A very quick look at the Wikipedia Polo page shows the car recognisable compared to its current form from mid-nineties. To me, this is not a disadvantage: classic and not-dating-with-fashion lines is one of the things that makes VW appeal to me. I hope to still have my car in ten years time, and I expect to still enjoy its looks!

[Mitz]

Originally Posted by Tapish

In India, they are looking to introduce GTI at 100% price premium to Polo TSI almost touching D+ segment.
Tapish

Well, it will be as its gonna be a CBU. Unlike most D+ cars that are manufactured/assembled in India.

Cars like GTI will have a very niche clientele which would not warrant for local assembly.
Also, its a matter of strategy for VW. They can be assembled locally if they wish to make India a hub for the APAC region.

VW are going to be quite aware of the pricing and I dont think they will strain themselves too much on that part. Someone willing to buy a GTI for 17-18 Lacs, will buy it even if it turns out be 20-21 Lacs. Reason being simple that there just isn't any comparable product available currently in India. Which is why VW is launching the 3 door only version to start with.

Of course things could change once it gets a true competitor.

Thanks.

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by Mitz

VW are going to be quite aware of the pricing and I dont think they will strain themselves too much on that part. Someone willing to buy a GTI for 17-18 Lacs, will buy it even if it turns out be 20-21 Lacs.

I respectfully disagree with this line of thinking. Sure- people would go all out and buy a GTI but what about people who truly have to look at the value their investment brings in.

No ways comparing, but here in the US, GTI, Mustang etc are available at 1/4 of the yearly salary of any decent qualified professional. They sure do charge a premium (50-100% over the base market cars) but that's for what the car has over its peers, not for the fact that there is nothing else available.

Our market is maturing and would (maybe soon) demand that better products be made available at deserving prices. The industry cannot hide behind the "niche market" face forever.

Tapish

[Pretorian]

We are still at the infancy stage of the Hot Hatches, folks who are asking for Golf, lets do a reality check. For the price bracket of 20L, which car competes with the Polo GTI ? No one! We only have the MiniS which touches almost 40L. When you compare internationally Polo GTI is compared with, Ford Fiesta ST 1.6, Peugeot 208 GTI & Pro_cee'd GT, none of which are going to see the living day lights in the next decade. So lets first appreciate VW for bringing in the Polo GTI, lets give them some numbers are prove that we are hungry for more.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Disclosure: I could not afford a Golf anyway, not even a non-GTI one. Actually, I never could, but drove one (no, not a GTI)as a company car, in London, for a couple of years.

Originally Posted by Pretorian

. So lets first appreciate VW for bringing in the Polo GTI, lets give them some numbers are prove that we are hungry for more.

I don't see that that makes any sense as an argument. Buy more of our cars and we'll give you some bigger, better ones to buy? And we can already buy the Jetta and even the Passat.

Of course, I agree that India has only recently ceased (?) seeing the hatchback as a desirable vehicle. VW must have their finger on that pulse, But I think they are behind the times, and the Golf would be a saleable and desirable vehicle.

As to GTIs... This is an enthusiast market and the Golf is the grand-daddy of them all. The all-original Hot Hatch. The Polo may be great, but it was not the first. It was not The All-Original Golf GTi... for goodness sake, how could that not sell itself to a minority enthusiast market? How can Number One not be a winner?


Hello VW India?

[Pretorian]

Well I thought we are purely talking hot hatches here, Jetta & Passat, hell even Octy's 1.8 is a great deal. Why not just buy that!

Corporates purely work on numbers, if they don't see the market churning, why bother go that extra mile of CKD'ing. How is Abarth Punto doing, that's one helluva car, but we don't see too many around, unlike the GT TSI which has just started seeing success. Most GT TSI buyers don't care about the power, what they want is the convenience of the automatic for our B2B traffic. We as a market (read not enthusiast) haven't matured enough to beat those numbers which foreign markets make.

Say for argument sake, VW reads our forums & gets their Golf priced at 30L, will folks like us the 'enthusiast market' buy it ? I am sure most wont. They'll play foul, saying it should have been at 20L or pick some sub-conscious reason like, I can buy a A3 or a Mini for that price! Or go plain jane & say it looks like a Polo, nothing exclusive!

We are a cribby lot for a market with limited choices.
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