[crackingride]

Here was a golden opportunity to get some decent pics of the Indian spec Polo, and all we see are the Euro versions!!

The red pic is the only Indian spec I can see ( going by the headlight cluster).
There still seems to be scope for confusion because of the fogs in the bumper, tied with black door handles and mirrors, but alloy wheels.
Is this all mix and match testing??

Are we going to miss those beautiful tail lights of the Euro spec,or what?

Interior shots would have been nice, but excellent work, anyway.

(Why are people still hoping for a 1.2TSI? We aren't even getting decent body colored mirrors for crissakes!!)

[akj53]

Great photos of a very good looking car. The headlights and tail lamps look stunning. This car has the potential to upset many established brands. VW has its work cut out to provide the car at a good price with decent A.S.S. and minus the horror stories of Skoda, else this will also become an also-ran like Jazz.

[EssYouWe]

If they give us a good engine, I don't mind compromising on the interiors. They can't be worse than a Gurkha's right?
A good 100 bhp power plant and a stable suspension would make it just irresistible.

The Ibiza looks killer!

[McLaren Rulez]

If we do get the rather plain version in India, how much would it cost to get the black headlamps, new taillamps, 16 inch alloys and any other minor bits and make it look like the international version? Surely, it won't be too much right?

[karanraheja]

Nice catch there. The tail lamps are drool!!!!! Unfortunately we might not get it in Indian version. The alloys in Indian version is 6 spoke unlike multi spoke in other markets. I somehow lost some hope after seeing Indian version Polo!! Common VW dont disappoint us!!

Pic source : Car blog.co.za

[Dry Ice]

The Indian version sure looks disappointing!! I see a lot of business for the "cosmetic" tuners!! After all, the only thing is to get the "authentic" parts imported, fitting shouldn't be a problem as basically its the same car!!

VW please don't cut too many corners!!

[crackingride]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

If we do get the rather plain version in India, how much would it cost to get the black headlamps, new taillamps, 16 inch alloys and any other minor bits and make it look like the international version? Surely, it won't be too much right?

A brief visit to the UK VW site would allow one to use the car configurator and find out how much all the minor bits actually cost!

I configured a top of the line SEL with a 1.6 TDI, and added all the options I could think of.. and guess what.. list price came close to 17,300 Pound Sterling.. working out to thirteen odd lakh.

No wonder then we are getting Maruti Swift spec shoved down our throats for Maruti Swift prices. Bet we dont get any options on the interior, alloys or engines either.

[xingamazon]

Frankly the car doesnt look that extraodinary, guess Ford guys have made a better job in Figo than this one.

[dipen]

The car may not look very refreshing but surely isnt bad. Its still better than the newer breed of modern weird looking cars like
i10 - the rear is bad
estilo, A-star - less said the better
wagaonR - a hit car with a matchbox design for utility purpose
verna - Ever imagined the 1.5 CRDI motor in a hot looking Civic. and that would have changed the game.
fabia - rear and side is bad in my book.

I still have a lot of doubts on Polo's success.
1. Passat and Jetta is not selling well compared to the competition. Ridiculously priced and DONT hold a candle compared to Japanese reliability.
2. If Jetta = 16 lakh car gets about 105 hp engine, we can only imagine what is going to power the Polo. Remember the Europeans are not great at weight reductions. So the Polo is going to be a 1000+ kerb weight car. If the engine churns anything like 70-80 hp, it wont be appreciated like the Aveo hatchback, fabia, Punto 1.2.

The engine surely wont to bigger than 1.2 to avail tax benefits. The Polo surely has nice looks, decent interior space, great handling to its credit. The only way to blow out the competition is get a 85+ hp engine and price it not more than 50k above the Swift VXI with equivalent features.

Anything else, and it will gather dust like its other siblings in India.

Are there plans for any diesel Polo ?

[prashanthyr]

Good road test report from AutoCar UK here Volkswagen Polo 1.2 SE - Autocar.co.uk

Personally, I think the look will work. They just need to ensure that features, price match those of the competition (Swift / i20/Punto) and manage to get their A.S.S act together before launch

[theEnd]

Originally Posted by crackingride

A brief visit to the UK VW site would allow one to use the car configurator and find out how much all the minor bits actually cost!

I configured a top of the line SEL with a 1.6 TDI, and added all the options I could think of.. and guess what.. list price came close to 17,300 Pound Sterling.. working out to thirteen odd lakh.

No wonder then we are getting Maruti Swift spec shoved down our throats for Maruti Swift prices. Bet we dont get any options on the interior, alloys or engines either.

But even the base Polo S (£10,035 = Rs. 7.6L) comes with the smoked headlamps, detailed tail-lights, LED indicators on the wing mirrors. With localization, we could expect the same for about Rs. 6L. But most likely we will never get all that in India.

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Apparently, the Seat Ibiza (which looks brilliant) might be considered, depending on the response the Polo gets from the Indian audience.

These look the same cars which I saw a couple of weeks back - I have uploaded the pictures in some other thread.

I agree with you on the Ibiza - I even saw a magnificent read coloured one the other day - looked much better than the red polo!! There are so many hatch's coming now - it is anybody's guess that which ones will click. But one thing is sure - Swift has plenty of competition now.

[dipen]

Originally Posted by vrprabhu

But one thing is sure - Swift has plenty of competition now.

Dont think so. Swift came and killed the Getz first.

Aveo came but did nothing with its underpowered engine.
Fabia came but it just needed itself to move itself out of race.
Palio Stile still carries the old Palio as well as Fiat baggage.
Indica again lost some of its diesel sales to the Swift diesel.
Punto does not seem to be setting the sales chart of fire. 85+ % of its sales are from diesel. I am still vary of the longevity of its success time.

The only cars that took a little of Swift sales away are/were I20 and I10.

Swift Vxi (forget ABS version, Swift VDI and Dzire) still has a waiting period of 1 month in most places. Part of this is attributed to lack of production (as ritz has taken priority on the assembly line). For some reason Swift still has its demand intact inspite of poor quality interiors, ratting issues, etc.

Try asking for a free mudflap on the Swift from the dealer. You will be surprised by their reaction.

[aaggoswami]

The biggest concern for this car are :

1) Dealer network : The network is simply too short for this car to gather success. This can make a significant impact. Why Jetta does not sell despite the VW badge being respected in India ? I think that a wider dealership network can prove useful.

2) Maintenance cost : If the current spare part costs for Jetta is anything to go by, the prices of Polo parts will be higher. Lets hope that this car does see more localization but not at the cost of interior fit and finish unlike Punto.

The above two factors play a very big role in making the car a success. If a city does not have a showroom, he will surely not visit another city to get a TD. Buying Swift or Ritz will be easier for him and comes from a brand not reputed for high maintenance cost.

About Swift sales, IMHO, nothing has affected it. I20 has infact affected Punto's sales a bit and I10 has successfully replaced Santro whose sales are down by quite a margin.

[hrishig]

Delhi domestic airport has a ad showing a new car is coming soon from VW. I guess the launch is not too far!