[Ohh!Oxygen]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I feel VW should stop selling cars and focus on Skoda for India. Elsewhere Skoda is the cheaper sibling to VW, but not the case in India. Brand Skoda is quite powerful and some people weigh it more than VW. Unless there is enough product/price differentiation, VW and Skoda are always going to eat into each others share.

No offence but I would call it a wild thought. They should continue all brands. The manufacturing cost would be less since they will end up in using same platform and share components too.
VW obviously has better brand visibility and Skoda is famous for Skoda jokes and notorious service. Once that reputation builds up, its difficult to change.

Again if you count numbers, VW is selling twice number of cars as compared to Skoda in India consistently.

[avishar]

VW Group To Invest € 1 Billion In India By 2020, Targets 5 Per Cent Market Share By 2025

To get a five-percent share of the Indian automobile market in 2025, a manufacturer has to see 250,000 cars a year or at-least 20,000 a month. (Since I am assuming that the market will grow to 5 million cars a year by 2025).

Twenty-thousand cars a month could be five models with sales of 4,000 each. But that is honestly improbable. With their portfolio and their targeting of the premium market, they need atleast two super hits, preferable a premium hatchback which can generate 7500 sales and a premium small SUV with around 5000 sales. They need another premium mid-size SUV which can bring in at-least 1500 sales figures in the segment 25-35 lakh. This adds up to 14000. The rest will have to be bought up by D1, D2 segment sedans and full-size SUVs, which is going to be a very tall task.

For a group which considers a good month if any of their models does four figures in a month, they have their work cut out! It really shows how insanely good Maruti is, who can probably conjure up another 250,000 units out of thin air!

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by avishar

Twenty-thousand cars a month could be five models with sales of 4,000 each. But that is honestly improbable. With their portfolio and their targeting of the premium market, they need atleast two super hits, preferable a premium hatchback which can generate 7500 sales and a premium small SUV with around 5000 sales.

From 2020 (mid) to 2025 the MQB -A0-IN will deliver only 4 cars ( VW-Skoda combined). The cars will be SUV ( Creta rival) and Sedans ( Vento/Rapid replacements)

Phase 2, beyond 2025 is not yet defined. It will be based on the outcome of Phase 1, but likely to be C/SUV focused.

[Flyer]

Originally Posted by volkman10

From 2020 (mid) to 2025 the MQB -A0-IN will deliver only 4 cars ( VW-Skoda combined). The cars will be SUV ( Creta rival) and Sedans ( Vento/Rapid replacements)

What's their plan for the hatchback segment? There is no news about Polo replacement. Current Polo was the most selling car for VW in India. It will also be better for Skoda to launch it's Polo equivalent. Are the Indian rules to be blamed? As the new Polo now measures above 4m in length, doesn't fit our market financially?

[McLaren Rulez]

Originally Posted by Flyer

What's their plan for the hatchback segment? There is no news about Polo replacement. Current Polo was the most selling car for VW in India. It will also be better for Skoda to launch it's Polo equivalent. Are the Indian rules to be blamed? As the new Polo now measures above 4m in length, doesn't fit our market financially?

The new Polo is only 5cm over the limit. I believe it can be brought under the limit with updated bumpers/minor changes.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Flyer

What's their plan for the hatchback segment? There is no news about Polo replacement.

No hatchbacks on priority until 2025. It is too early to envisage anything beyond that. Maybe more C/Suv's will be planned as seen in their global portfolio.

[Flyer]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

The new Polo is only 5cm over the limit. I believe it can be brought under the limit with updated bumpers/minor changes.

Then I'm wondering why Skoda and VW lost interest in the hatchback segment now. There is clearly no mention about Polo anywhere in their plans till 2025. They did mention that they are not interested in the sub 4 m sedan segment. Not sure about the future of Ameo.

Originally Posted by volkman10

No hatchbacks on priority until 2025. It is too early to envisage anything beyond that. Maybe more C/Suv's will be planned as seen in their global portfolio.

Leaving the hatch behind completely to concentrate on SUV isn't a wise move.

[rish_arora]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Skoda rules out sub 4 m cars for India - will go all premium.

Good to hear this as I don't think Skoda/VW should play the masses game in India. But to ensure survival they need to find respectable sales to justify their investments. This will be depend largely on the products and how much 'premium' they offer both in terms of pricing and quality against the competition.

Originally Posted by volkman10

Polo and Ameo will likely not be offered post 2020.

Now this interesting as Polo is such a fine product. They might launch the Polo with International Dimensions which is more than 4m.

[A M]

If VW can't launch the Polo at affordable prices, I think they shouldn't bother with the >4m expensive Polo. It wouldn't sell as they have already killed the premium-ness of Polo nameplate with that puny 1.0 L engine and Ameo was the last nail in the coffin. They should rather bring in the Golf at 9-14 Lakh range along with their Creta rival. People today don't shy away from buying costly hatchbacks today as long as the car is competent; S-Cross is an example.

VW has a very difficult task ahead for them if they do not want to play the mass-market game but remain a premium brand. With this strategy, they are limiting themselves to the 10 - 30 Lakh Rupee bracket. Anything above, German trio have their brand value dominating the sedan segment and Toyota and Ford are holding on to the SUV segment. We have already seen how well the Kodiaq and the Tiguan were received by our market.

I think, from their current line-up, VWAG should bring:
Golf (9-14 Lakh range)
T-Cross (10-15 Lakh range)
Jetta (17-20 Lakh Range)
Atlas (to rival Fortuner, Endeavour)

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

--then they just need basically 1 petrol and 1 diesel engine in 2 states of tune in the 10 lac rupee segment.

Unfortunately VAG has no plans to have a diesel option in their small cars (~ ₹10 lakh range ) for India.

[rageshgr]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Unfortunately VAG has no plans to have a diesel option in their small cars (~ ₹10 lakh range ) for India.

What? You mean Polo/Ameo will only have petrol options?

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by rageshgr

What? You mean Polo/Ameo will only have petrol options?

No plans of a Hatchback from 2020 , Ameo likely to be axed by then. Diesel option will be for cars like Octavia, Kodiaq and beyond.

Possibility of hatchbacks would be looked into in their phase 2.0 of its India plan.

[i74js]

Though India is maturing in terms of buyer expectations yet moving from hatchbacks will not take them anywhere.

They may not venture into entry level hatch, but leaving premium hatchback altogether cannot be termed as wise decision. It seems that dieselgate has hit them hard and this is reflecting on their growth strategies across geographies.

I see no reason of scraping 1.2 petrol TSI which gives them tax advantage in the present structure; further downgrade in engine capacity will take them nowhere !

Also, equally amazing would be to see C2 segment sedans in petrol only avatars from VAG lineup; I doubt if other players will give up diesel so very easily even after Euro VI coming into effect.

Prayers for VW in India.

[AccordSport]

Originally Posted by A M

I think, from their current line-up, VWAG should bring:
Golf (9-14 Lakh range)
T-Cross (10-15 Lakh range)
Jetta (17-20 Lakh Range)
Atlas (to rival Fortuner, Endeavour)

Golf is essentially a Jetta hatch and in no way they can bring it <16lakhs forget 14 lakhs!

They should focus on next iterations of Polo, vento and T-Cross. Golf, Jetta, Tiguan & Atlas (VW Kodiaq :P ) can be CKDs.

But anyways India is not their focus now

[volkman10]

Skoda reveals the time frame of its sedans. As expected the Vento will be replaced by Virtus and Rapid by its next Gen . Both will arrive in 2021, after the launch of the C/SUV, T Cross and 'Vision X concept' from Skoda.

No diesel options for these two cars ( as of now)

Power will come via an also locally produced 1.0 TSI engine putting out around 116hp and a healthy 200Nm of torque from 2,000-3500rpm.

As the sedans are larger than the current offerings with more premium interiors and tech, expect a premium pricing too.

Link