[TusharK]

The Volkswagen Polo is celebrating 10 years since its launch in India. The first generation Polo in India went into production back in 2009.



Over the past decade, Volkswagen has offered the Polo with multiple petrol and diesel engine variants. The first Polo was offered with 1.6-litre petrol and 1.2-litre diesel engines. More powerful GT TSI and GT TDI variants were introduced later.

Today, the Polo is available with a 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that produces 75 BHP and 95 Nm of torque and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that puts out 89 BHP and 230 Nm of torque. Both engines are paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.



The GT TSI gets a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol engine that makes 104 BHP and 175 Nm of torque. It comes equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The GT TDI variant comes with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel unit that put out 108 BHP and 250 Nm of peak torque and is paired with a 5-speed manual transmission.

Link to Team-BHP News

[porsche_guy]

Definitely not something to celebrate since the car is basically the same since 10 years

Don't know what VW was thinking organising this!

Cheers!

[motorworks]

A 10 year anniversary edition is just around the corner, which will have path breaking features like 10 year anniversary badging, some decals, logos on the seats and other such segment firsts!

[dZired]

A decade without any major changes to the car! VW India has surely milked the Polo thoroughly. It is high time that they bid the current model goodbye.

It is alarming that despite its age, the Polo is still VW India's best-selling model, fetching close to 1,500 units every month; talks a lot about other cars in the company's India lineup!

[GeeTee TSI]

Probably the second car after the venerable 800, to continue unchanged in sheet metal IIRC. That said, a handsome design which has aged gracefully, not to mention good drivetrains (if you pick the right variant )

[Latheesh]

They should be ashamed of celebrating something like this.

We are not getting new polo for sure but we may get T-Cross crossover. New Polo looks bad and T-Cross is small and dimensions are similar to sub 4 mtr compact crossovers in India. T-Cross cannot compete with them unless they chop it to make it under 4 mtr.

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by TusharK

The Volkswagen Polo is celebrating 10 years since its launch in India. The first generation Polo in India went into production back in 2009.

Technically its still the same generation.. and they are very close to breaking the record of Fiat Punto for putting on sale, basically the same car, platform and look-wise for over a decade, save for a few modifications here and there like smoked head-lamps, tweaked fog-lamp housing and adding reflectors onto rear-bumper.

Not that there is anything truly wrong with that.. the consistency would be much appreciated by early buyers who can tweak their cars to look almost new even 10 years down, plus both the above mentioned cars are no-nonsense in their own right and have most of the basics correct.

However, speaking strictly in a marketing sense.. these moves have back-fired quite a bit, gone are the days when car models can be flogged for 2+ decades without innovation, only three models got away with that - the Premier Padmini, the Maruti 800 and their grandfather, the Ambassador. The Polo was quite a bit bland to begin with and as the years pile on, that surely wont work wonders in a market flooded with new-gen arrivals.

Not that the latest gen Polo is all too different to look at, but the more modern cabin & slightly enhanced interior space would be much appreciated where its previous generation barely has any rear leg-room. I agree that this tin/aluminium anniversary (I'm not making it up, tin/aluminium is the alternate name for a 10th anniversary, like Silver is for 25th and Gold for 50th) was not worth publicizing, might've as well called it 10 years of VW in India.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

--
We are not getting new polo for sure but we may get T-Cross crossover. New Polo looks bad and T-Cross is small and dimensions are similar to sub 4 mtr compact crossovers in India. T-Cross cannot compete with them unless they chop it to make it under 4 mtr.

T Cross/ Skoda Kamiq is not a <4m CUV, and when introduced it will rival in the segment of Hyundai's Creta.

[boniver]

No matter what, I still think the Polo is the best looking 'small' car on our roads today, rivalled only by the Elite i20. In fact, the Polo is so attractive that despite being 10 years old now, it's in the running to be our next car. VW has played it extremely well with the Polo, and very few products can be on the market for so long and still do well

[Krishnan83]

As someone who just sold his 6 year old Polo, I'm heaving a sigh of relief! All the past 6 years, though I was very happy with the build quality and quality of materials, ASS was always expensive with the technicians trying to rip you off by claiming this is broken or that is broken!! A great car ruined by pathetic ASS

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by volkman10

T Cross/ Skoda Kamiq is not a <4m CUV, and when introduced it will rival in the segment of Hyundai's Creta.

It is around 4.1 mtr long. Chop that front and rear bumper can be easily done to make it under 4 mtr. It looks smaller than Nexon and Ecosport. No way it can compete with cars like Creta or Seltos.

[el lobo 6061]

I wish VW had also invited customers who bought Polo/Vento and still holding onto it after a decade.

Trust me, no other car in the segment can match
1. Product build quality
2. Paint finish
3. Driving dynamics, handling, braking
4. Looks

All other products may have many gadgets but when it comes to drive, no matching Germans.

[landcruiser123]

This doesn't call for celebration, but a kick to the backside of their bosses. VW should either play a serious game or pack their bags and leave. Not many owners dislike their products, they can sell in numbers if they get the right product and back it up with the right kind of service support.

10-year life cycles are the norm for UVs- ask Toyota. In the time VW sold the Polo, Hyundai has sold the Getz, i20, Elite i20, and we're seeing the new i20 round the corner. They've also sold the i10, Grand i10 and launched the i10 NiOS. (or whatever garbage of a name that is :P) One thing I'll give VW is that they've done a good job of picking and choosing many engine + transmission combos.

[Rajeevraj]

Although from one perspective it is laughable that VW is celebrating this, we also need to keep in mind that the Polo still sells 1500 odd units a month which I believe is phenomenal for a 10 year old model from a not so relevant manufacturer in India. A majority of the so called 'new' cars have fallen flat on their face and have had sales drop to insignificant numbers within months of launch.

It maybe 10 years old, but still a very relevant and popular car.

Of course, the VW management should open their eyes to the fact that, if they can sell 1500 units of a 10 year old car, what would be the opportunities if they bring in the latest iterations of thier cars here.

[kiku007]

Ten years back there was a lot of excitement around VW Polo, Ford Figo, Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20. Then the Compact sedans happened which was followed by crossovers and the rest is history.

I wish someone does a write-up on the rise and fall of hatchback cars in India.

The VW Polo is a decade old car and it reflects VW's apathy to the Indian market. However, the Polo GT TSI was one of the cars that I shortlisted in 2015. The Polo was so much more well built and FTD than the Aspire. I eventually bought a Ford Aspire AT because of the value proposition and the fact that it was for my dad. It's a tough sell at a million+ rupees.

VW Polo - A good car that deserved a better life in India.