[Kosfactor]

A VW hatch must be really appealing at the end of the day to be sold for 40L in India. Lets just assume they can produce this car in India, what would a Jetta or Octavia without boot would cost? Certainly not half as much, So it would still be retailing at the price of an XUV perhaps. Good Luck VW.

Dear VW, Why not delete the DSG and offer Polo GT TSi with a manual transmission? It will reduce the price as well as eliminate the anxiety associated with DSG.

[shibujp]

40 lakhs is an excellent price just like 25 lakhs was an excellent price for the Polo GTI.

Just hold on for a few months while VW slowly realizes that the pricing is out of whack and then reduces the price to sell off the stock at a decent price of 20-25 lakhs!!

The logic behind pricing the Skoda vRS at 25 lakhs and the Golf GTI at 40 lakhs beats me.

That said this is right up my alley. But the rumoured pricing is nuts!
Drive on,
Shibu.

[Sebring]

Abarth had injected racing pedigree into the Punto. The engine was 1368 CC 16 valve petrol developing 145 Hp at 5,500 RPM. It had the iconic Scorpio emblem, badging, graphics, side-skirting, and contrasting decals. 16 inch sporty alloy wheels to boot. Pricing was a mere 10 lakh in 2015, if I recall right (Ex showroom, Delhi). How did it fare in the market? Golf is my favourite hatch (and is the best, no doubt), but at Rs. 40 Lakhs they have reinvent marketing in India to move these cars. Hope it makes it to our shores but it's a tough job for VW!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by shibujp

The logic behind pricing the Skoda vRS at 25 lakhs and the Golf GTI at 40 lakhs beats me.

The vRS was brought in as CKD and hence had far lower Customs duties. The Golf will be a CBU import hence prohibitively taxed.

In fact the next batch of vRS will probably be CBU too and retail at 40L!

[GTO]

Impossible, guys. 40 lakhs is just way too much ask for a VW hatchback, performance or not. Except for a tiny handful of customers, no one is going to bite. 40 big ones can get you many other sexier options, some of which are a lot more practical. Not to forget, one of the most compelling alternatives will be the new Octavia vRS itself.

There's not a single VW CBU that has met its already-low sales targets in India. With good reason too. Not only were they grossly overpriced, but they didn't have any kind of a target market.

[rangarx]

Contrary to what most of us expressed here, I think the car might find takers. This car has a loyal fan following globally and the Indian elite are willing to spend for the exclusivity. We have seen the niche products selling off, vRS, Kona, Tiguan (no?) are a few come to mind immediately.

Will help the company to build image, at the least.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by GTO

Impossible, guys. 40 lakhs is just way too much ask for a VW hatchback, performance or not.

I second GTO here

When VW offered Polo GTI in India as CBU, 90%/non-enthusiast folks could hardly care as it just looked like any other Polo on road. I dare post that there were plethora of regular Polos which looked visually way more appealing that this CBU. There are loads of posts from the GTI owners themselves where regular Joe's have even wondered why they paid such a ransom for a Polo with couple of lesser doors. And to rub it in further, VW don't even have a decent inventory for the regular GTs, and God bless the GTI/Golf owners in this aspect.

Coming to the Golf, I really doubt if even half the countryman recognize the lineage this hatch carries. With all the "Fill My Pocket" taxes by the government on CBU, >4M car, >1.8 L engine and so on, I agree with all you guys who think this could get to a retail price of 4 million INR
With one of the most pathetic, clogged and relatively unsafe motoring infrastructure, I would just plonk INR 35 lakhs into the upcoming Octy vRS, and save the remaining 5 lakhs for Skoda's after sales love affair if I had that kinda moolah to splurge.

Golf has never graced the Indian road, and it completely misses out on the only saving grace of the Polo GTI, the regular Polo, which has been around for over a decade now and shares quite a bite of its components.

ANOTHER POLO GTI STORY IN THE MAKING?

[Santoshbhat]

This is certainly good news. Always good to have a choice as an enthusiast. It is slim pickings anyway. Granted the VRS is more practical, but not everyone needs a big boot. Hot hatches are great fun and usable for everyday use.

Price is a contentious issue, but this going to be a CBU and I don't think VW has much wriggle room given the high import duties. It all depends on how badly someone wants the product.

This seems to be a standard modus these days from car companies.

• Keep the price high and exhaust the demand from those for whom price is inelastic.
• Then discount the price since there is now an expectation of discounting by a large group of customers who are willing to buy at a price which they deem reasonable.
• Last step is to discount further and clear stocks.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Coming to the Golf, I really doubt if even half the countryman recognize the lineage this hatch carries.

I assure you buddy, this is a major plus point for many of us. The whole point of the hot hatch is how discreet it looks.

[PratikPatel]

Originally Posted by GTO

Impossible, guys. 40 lakhs is just way too much ask for a VW hatchback, performance or not. Except for a tiny handful of customers, no one is going to bite.

While what you are saying is valid from a logical point of view, whoever goes for this buy is not going to do it from the ‘logic’ point of view. Why will some one buy this? Simple, because he/she wants it and can afford it. Period. All arguments about how you can better deals and ‘bigger’ cars fall by the wayside against this so called ‘illogical’ thinking.

Agreed, that its not going to sell in numbers, nor is VW looking at selling in numbers. They have been in the Indian market for nearly 2 decades now and know the market as well as anyone in the auto industry. They have no illusions that it will sell like hot cakes off the oven. Its a brand building exercise and nothing more. Its going to be a repeat of Polo GTi & VW does not mind it.

Will I buy it? Yes, I will. But I am still hoping that Ford comes to its senses and gives us the Focus ST to say the least if not the RS version.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Abarth had injected racing pedigree into the Punto. The engine was 1368 CC 16 valve petrol developing 145 Hp at 5,500 RPM. It had the iconic Scorpio emblem, badging, graphics, side-skirting, and contrasting decals. 16 inch sporty alloy wheels to boot. Pricing was a mere 10 lakh in 2015, if I recall right (Ex showroom, Delhi). How did it fare in the market? Golf is my favourite hatch (and is the best, no doubt), but at Rs. 40 Lakhs they have reinvent marketing in India to move these cars. Hope it makes it to our shores but it's a tough job for VW!

Fiat is a dead brand now. People know they are leaving the market. So no matter what they sell, its going to fail.

Besides there are several things wrong with the Abarth Punto. You can not sell a hot hatch with an awkward seating position and rubbish gear shift. Also, while the 1.4L engine is good, it is definitely not something to fall in love with. The Jetta has a 1.4L turbo petrol, with a better gearbox. Sure it costs more but then you get a lot more. If you are not willing to stretch yout budget, the Polo GT Tsi is another option.

[motorworks]

Originally Posted by GTO

Impossible, guys. 40 lakhs is just way too much ask for a VW hatchback, performance or not. Except for a tiny handful of customers, no one is going to bite. 40 big ones can get you many other sexier options, some of which are a lot more practical. Not to forget, one of the most compelling alternatives will be the new Octavia vRS itself.

There's not a single VW CBU that has met its already-low sales targets in India. With good reason too. Not only were they grossly overpriced, but they didn't have any kind of a target market.

Agree! However performance oriented the car may be, its VW badging might be the deterrent. Skoda managed to sell the Octavia VRS because it had a legacy in India and also because it was just about 30-35 lakhs on road, in comparison to the regular Octavia which is 23-28L.

I think VW is better off bringing a performance hatch under the Audi nameplate. An Audi A1 RS may be? That would attract the younger lot of the super rich folks. Like a Mini Cooper alternative.

[maven]

I am interested to know what the folks at VW are smoking.

A great performance steed. The styling is mature and understated. No obvious bling and it won’t stand out as such. VW is not a snooty brand either. A handful of enthusiasts may just go for it and even they would think many times sitting in showroom when it’s time to sign the cheque.
I think the more exciting thing is guessing how many will they sell. 24 in a year, or is that too low?!!

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

The vRS was brought in as CKD and hence had far lower Customs duties. The Golf will be a CBU import hence prohibitively taxed.

In fact the next batch of vRS will probably be CBU too and retail at 40L!

So what's stopping VW from bringing the Golf in as a CKD and not a CBU? Ditto for the Skoda vRS?

Drive on,
Shibu.

[Sebring]

Tax benefits. They can bring in up to 2,500 units per year now without duty. The Government of India allows that.

Originally Posted by shibujp

So what's stopping VW from bringing the Golf in as a CKD and not a CBU? Ditto for the Skoda vRS?

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Abarth had injected racing pedigree into the Punto. The engine was 1368 CC 16 valve petrol developing 145 Hp at 5,500 RPM. It had the iconic Scorpio emblem, badging, graphics, side-skirting, and contrasting decals. 16 inch sporty alloy wheels to boot. Pricing was a mere 10 lakh in 2015, if I recall right (Ex showroom, Delhi). How did it fare in the market? Golf is my favourite hatch (and is the best, no doubt), but at Rs. 40 Lakhs they have reinvent marketing in India to move these cars. Hope it makes it to our shores but it's a tough job for VW!

VW products have a certain finesse to them which FIAT (India) lack. Punto was an already failing platform in its sunset phase. Whereas something like a Polo is still continuing to sell more cars per month than what number of Puntos/ Lineas Fiat managed in six months. I would personally love to go for it but 40L is a bit much. Regret having missed out on Polo GTI.