[Venkatesh]

Next-gen Volkswagen Polo could be launched in India.

Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, confirmed that the company is mulling the prospect of a new Polo. “Those evaluations are on,” he said.

The MQB A0 IN platform is very amenable to products like the Polo hatchback,” said Gupta.

With its work cut out for now (SUVW strategy), the company is likely to take another two-three years to launch an updated Polo in our market

So many rumours and articles doesn't clarify a thing about next gen Polo launch, Volkswagen India should clarify it once and for all in near future.

Source

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Next-gen Volkswagen Polo could be launched in India.

So many rumours and articles doesn't clarify a thing about next gen Polo launch, Volkswagen India should clarify it once and for all in near future.

Source

I don’t understand why SKODA VW don’t want to tap the premium hatch market in India?

If their decade old Polo can still sell in decent numbers today, imagine what disruption can the next gen Polo make.

I am pretty sure, it can even surpass their entire SUV sales in India.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by ashvek3141

I don’t understand why SKODA VW don’t want to tap the premium hatch market in India?

If their decade old Polo can still sell in decent numbers today, imagine what disruption can the next gen Polo make.

I am pretty sure, it can even surpass their entire SUV sales in India.

Unfortunately it isn't that easy as it seems. Polo is based on MQB A0 Platform globally and it is greater than 4m in length so if VW launch it as it is bye bye to the tax and duty benefits and the Polo will be easily costing north of 12 Lakh to begin with. No mater how good a car is, if its a hatchback and is costing almost in the range of compact SUV it is not gonna do well in India.

Then there is MQB A0 IN Platform, which is derived from MQB A0. Which is variable, modular and cost effective to produce and can squeezed to fit inside our weird 4 m equation. So only bet for VW is to launch Polo based on MQB IN Platform by keeping it under 4m. Basically VW need to develop a new Polo based on a new platform for selling it in India and may be some other price sensitive developing countries. Its quite a lot of work. As far as I remember Kushaq, and upcoming Taigun have been in development for at least 2 Years.

[igemini]

Even if VW launch the new-gen Polo here, I highly doubt that it won't be the similar version on sale in other countries. The Indian version will be cut down in length, quality of materials and most probably it will be offered only in the 1.0 TSI version.

Though the 1.0 TSI is great, the cost factor may play a major role and suddenly the new-gen polo will look extremely overpriced for what it offers. Chances that, after the initial hype the new generation polo might not be able to fetch the numbers as the current generation doing right now.

Personally, I do not think it will sell in great numbers. 99% of people who cry for the new-gen polo will not buy it if launched. Unless with an amazing VFM tag which I highly doubt. At the end, most of them will buy something else and VW sales numbers back to square one.

[CarNerd]

Originally Posted by Adam

Unfortunately it isn't that easy as it seems. Polo is based on MQB A0 Platform globally and it is greater than 4m in length so if VW launch it as it is bye bye to the tax and duty benefits and the Polo will be easily costing north of 12 Lakh to begin with.

Even the Hyundai i20 is greater than 4m in global markets but they have reduced the size in India. So if they can do it, what's the problem with VW? Also Hyundai launched the new i20 in the same year as it was in other countries whereas the 6th gen Polo was launched in 2017 globally.
It shows that VW is not serious about Indian market and wants to sell old products.

[bhpfaninblr]

Volkswagen need a diesel engine option in their lineup. See how Maruti has lost share without a diesel engine. These turbo petrols are not going to sell much in India. Not much hope for VW with its current engine lineup

[S15]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Next-gen Volkswagen Polo could be launched in India.

Just curious, does next-gen mean next-gen? (that is mk7)
Or does next-gen mean the current gen in Europe. (aka mk6)

Asking because even the current gen is quite old. (Launched in 2017, will be 5 years old in 2022)

[ashvek3141]

Originally Posted by Adam

Unfortunately it isn't that easy as it seems.

Originally Posted by CarNerd

Even the Hyundai i20 is greater than 4m in global markets but they have reduced the size in India. So if they can do it, what's the problem with VW? Also Hyundai launched the new i20 in the same year as it was in other countries whereas the 6th gen Polo was launched in 2017 globally.
It shows that VW is not serious about Indian market and wants to sell old products.

Exactly what I wanted to reply to the above post!

If Hyundai can, why can’t VW? Moreover, their MQB-A0-IN platform is a modular platform especially designed for cars to be launched in the Indian market.

IIRC, in one of the early articles during the Skoda 2.0 strategy, it was infact said that the IN platform will be used on a wide range of cars, from hatch’s to SUV’s.

Originally Posted by bhpfaninblr

Volkswagen need a diesel engine option in their lineup. See how Maruti has lost share without a diesel engine. These turbo petrols are not going to sell much in India. Not much hope for VW with its current engine lineup

Not really. Maruti has barely lost any market share due to the lack of diesels.
The Swift, Baleno & the Dzire are still ruling the sales charts. Moreover, take the case of the Brezza; it’s the BEST selling CSUV in only petrol guise. I am not even considering the Urban Cruiser here, which essentially is the same car.

[GeeTee TSI]

I shudder at the thought of the handsome Polo coming under the knife to fit within the damned 4m rule! Might end up losing a bit of it's chin and/or the posterior, whereas our current (Mk 5) Polo was identical to its European version and hence sported faultless proportions

[kpkeerthi]

Year 2050: VW considering replacing Polo and Vento that are now half a century old.

[Nikhildrao]

Originally Posted by CarNerd

Even the Hyundai i20 is greater than 4m in global markets but they have reduced the size in India. So if they can do it, what's the problem with VW? Also Hyundai launched the new i20 in the same year as it was in other countries whereas the 6th gen Polo was launched in 2017 globally.
It shows that VW is not serious about Indian market and wants to sell old products.

Seems to be that you're not seeing clearly. The i20 sells 9k units while polo barely averages 900. So there's economic sense to localize the i20 as they can recuperate the costs with economies of scale.

[prajwalmr62]

Year 2053: Polo Turbo Tango edition launched.

On a serious note, I'm wondering what's the issue with VW India? Even if you ignore all service/maintenance issues, they have no interesting models below 25L OTR. Taigun is not much of a product to make a dent in CSUV segment in anyway (even if they release it this year).

[Latheesh]

No, I do not think they will launch new Polo in India. Instead we are getting Kushaq and Taigun (new Polo in pseudo SUV form). New Polo does not look that good (especially lower variants) comparing to decade old Polo we have.

[AKSarkar1]

Originally Posted by igemini

Personally, I do not think it will sell in great numbers. 99% of people who cry for the new-gen polo will not buy it if launched. Unless with an amazing VFM tag which I highly doubt. At the end, most of them will buy something else and VW sales numbers back to square one.

I agree with this statement 100%. That is the sad reality of the Indian automotive market right now, manufacturers seem to have been caught in a cross-fire between customers demands and regulations.

Indian customers always want more at a lower price, not like that is a bad thing but I feel that is just our mindset. On the other hand, I feel the government (as a whole) and especially the ministries that have undertaken the automotive sector can do way more than they are right now. The car manufacturers are stepping up their game and I think so should the babus.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by kpkeerthi

Year 2050: VW considering replacing Polo and Vento that are now half a century old.

Originally Posted by wikipedia

The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car produced by the German car manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975

But you might be right about its Indian incarnation.