Production ready VW Polo spotted! Pg 11, 23

hrmanju1 · 10th December 2009, 19:39

Instead of trendline and comfortline, i think we will be getting - S, SE, SEL as in UK 2009 Polo models.

I couldnt make out if the pics above had alloys or not? No confusion for sure but more of different mules being tested out.

-- 26 days to go.

HammerHead · 10th December 2009, 20:06

What will be the selling point of VW Polo here in India?

I mean going by the pics posted (interior's quality) so far and believing that Polo will share Fabia's petrol engines, I may be wrong but I don't see a point in buying Polo.

suhaas307 · 10th December 2009, 20:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

And my reaction to the pics was that that they looed rather disapointing and cheap

!

Looks lke I'm going to prefer the i20, if it ever comes to the choice...

I'd go in for a Punto anyday! And since the Punto is priced a notch below, I'd spend the money that I saved on something like a Pete's 'box and some nifty OZ Superturismo wheels!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrmanju1

Instead of trendline and comfortline, i think we will be getting - S, SE, SEL as in UK 2009 Polo models.

I couldnt make out if the pics above had alloys or not? No confusion for sure but more of different mules being tested out.

-- 26 days to go.

They look like hub caps to me! They sit pretty flush so it's hard to distinguish them from alloys. But to me, they look like wheel caps!

hrmanju1 · 10th December 2009, 21:23

^^^^
Novice on Alloys here. Whats the advantages "other than looks" of Alloys compared to Steel Caps?

blackasta · 10th December 2009, 21:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrmanju1

^^^^
Novice on Alloys here. Whats the advantages "other than looks" of Alloys compared to Steel Caps?

alloys are (atleast should be) lighter than steel wheels and reduce the unsprung weight on the suspension - resulting on better suspension performance and FE.

viper_711 · 10th December 2009, 22:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrmanju1

^^^^
Novice on Alloys here. Whats the advantages "other than looks" of Alloys compared to Steel Caps?

Alloys reduce unsprung weight of the car. This improves handling and improves FE (negligible though). It does improve braking because of the reduced weight (experienced it on 2 cars now). Some designs allow more air flow to the brakes than steel wheels - keeping them cooler.

hrmanju1 · 10th December 2009, 22:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper_711

Alloys reduce unsprung weight of the car. This improves handling and improves FE (negligible though). It does improve braking because of the reduced weight (experienced it on 2 cars now). Some designs allow more air flow to the brakes than steel wheels - keeping them cooler.

Steel Caps vs Alloys weight. I thought the weight difference is comparatively less to the overall weight of the car. Fuel Efficiency. Hmm,

Where can i get deep down on studying about the second point you made? "More Airflow to brakes". I think that is interesting to understand the mechanics.

Thanks for the updates guys.

hrmanju1 · 11th December 2009, 14:59

Well, i still have a question. Did VW officially EVER comment on the Price of 4.35Lacs? I don't think so. I may be wrong. All they said was the competitors names. So if at all we go by that - simple math would help us here.

I took VW UK website as reference here.

SEL Model, 1.2 TSI Petrol and rest all standards.

Price = 14,545 GBP = 1,104,497 INR . Since it is 1.2L, we can be assured no extra taxes.

Well, let us assume they will remove "nice" interiors like Sat NAV, Electric OVRM, MDI (give basic CD player), Multifunction computer, Electrically HEATED windows and door mirrors. (Note: All of the mentioned above accessories are in SEL model by default).

And then Indianization of parts by 50% was announced already.

Now, does this not come to around 7lacs INR?

So, when launched in India, SEL Model can come to 7 Lacs. Indian customers are happy as they have become very knowledgeable.

To keep the 5 lac price, they can always put the 1.2l 70ps engine to bring down the cost further.

Analysis from an IT person.

crackingride · 12th December 2009, 13:17

Just caught the Overdrive show on CNBC-TV18, and Sirish was driven around the Chakan plant by VW R&D Head with the VW India MD in tow.
And driven in a shiny red pre-production Polo! Looked very similar to the photos a couple of posts down from this one.. black handles and all.
Looks good in the clearer light of broadcast TV, with some lack of detail in the simplified headlamp cluster.
The tail-lights look nice when lit, though i think it is not the same design as the international spec, still.
Also, camera angles were very tightly controlled.. no views of the interior beyond the beige! Things are being kept tightly under wraps. Sirish did comment on the fact that panel gaps and switchgear quality seems to be up there with international spec, so that is a good thing to hear.
The horn is reminiscent of the Fabia's, and the R&D chief says it's been developed for India; tested to 500,000 operations! Will it need more??
If only we have some decent engines to pull the whole thing tightly together!
I wonder if any other shows got similar access. Have to wait and watch. I missed the Autocar show on Bloomberg UTVI, but the C&B Show has a new episode on at 4.30 pm, so they might have that as well.

GTO · 12th December 2009, 13:22

The Polo is not going to be about VFM, atleast I don't think so. European cars are generally "premium", whatever the section they compete in. And to be honest, it's a tough call for anyone to match the cost structures of Maruti, Tata and Hyundai when it comes to the small car segment.

The VW's differentiation could be its build, Euro ride & handling, diesel engine and feel good factor. But I don't think they are here to compete on price with say, a Tata Indica.

AyAn! · 12th December 2009, 13:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by crackingride

That said, what's with the black door handles then!?

It seem that black door handles OR body-colored ORVMs will be standard across the whole range!

Lets hope its not the former AND hope its the latter.Plus body-colored handles

Comrade · 12th December 2009, 14:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by AyAn!

It seem that black door handles OR body-colored ORVMs will be standard across the whole range!

I do not think so. They are pre-production or test-production cars for mechanical testing right? These cars must have been made using random samples from the lot. Testing (or matching) colour on handles must have been the last thing on their mind.

S350L-E240 · 12th December 2009, 14:56

The first production car has rolled out from the factory I just hope it does not have beige trim!

Volkswagen starts production of first India car- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

crackingride · 12th December 2009, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by S350L-E240

The first production car has rolled out from the factory I just hope it does not have beige trim!

All indications, verbal and visual, indicate that beige is very much on the agenda. As I posted this afternoon, the Overdrive segment on a "pre-production" Polo drive within the plant very definitely had a car with beige interiors.

hrmanju1 · 12th December 2009, 18:21

Aaaah, the beige interiors. Royale. Anyone has the youtube link to the new Overdrive video? I want to go and feel the beige. I prefer the UK interiors though.

Any scoops from team-bhp? The real insider info on the engines? BTW, has anyone here booked it already? Blind booking i mean.

10th December 2009, 19:39	#376
hrmanju1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 186 Thanked: 0 Times	Instead of trendline and comfortline, i think we will be getting - S, SE, SEL as in UK 2009 Polo models. I couldnt make out if the pics above had alloys or not? No confusion for sure but more of different mules being tested out. -- 26 days to go.
	() Thanks

10th December 2009, 20:06	#377
HammerHead Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Goan in Pune Posts: 1,247 Thanked: 641 Times View My Garage	What will be the selling point of VW Polo here in India? I mean going by the pics posted (interior's quality) so far and believing that Polo will share Fabia's petrol engines, I may be wrong but I don't see a point in buying Polo.
	() Thanks

10th December 2009, 21:23	#379
hrmanju1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 186 Thanked: 0 Times	^^^^ Novice on Alloys here. Whats the advantages "other than looks" of Alloys compared to Steel Caps?
	() Thanks

11th December 2009, 14:59	#383
hrmanju1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 186 Thanked: 0 Times	Well, i still have a question. Did VW officially EVER comment on the Price of 4.35Lacs? I don't think so. I may be wrong. All they said was the competitors names. So if at all we go by that - simple math would help us here. I took VW UK website as reference here. SEL Model, 1.2 TSI Petrol and rest all standards. Price = 14,545 GBP = 1,104,497 INR . Since it is 1.2L, we can be assured no extra taxes. Well, let us assume they will remove "nice" interiors like Sat NAV, Electric OVRM, MDI (give basic CD player), Multifunction computer, Electrically HEATED windows and door mirrors. (Note: All of the mentioned above accessories are in SEL model by default). And then Indianization of parts by 50% was announced already. Now, does this not come to around 7lacs INR? So, when launched in India, SEL Model can come to 7 Lacs. Indian customers are happy as they have become very knowledgeable. To keep the 5 lac price, they can always put the 1.2l 70ps engine to bring down the cost further. Analysis from an IT person.
	() Thanks

12th December 2009, 13:17	#384
crackingride BHPian Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: bangalore Posts: 270 Thanked: 19 Times	Overdrive is driven in an India-spec pre-production model Just caught the Overdrive show on CNBC-TV18, and Sirish was driven around the Chakan plant by VW R&D Head with the VW India MD in tow. And driven in a shiny red pre-production Polo! Looked very similar to the photos a couple of posts down from this one.. black handles and all. Looks good in the clearer light of broadcast TV, with some lack of detail in the simplified headlamp cluster. The tail-lights look nice when lit, though i think it is not the same design as the international spec, still. Also, camera angles were very tightly controlled.. no views of the interior beyond the beige! Things are being kept tightly under wraps. Sirish did comment on the fact that panel gaps and switchgear quality seems to be up there with international spec, so that is a good thing to hear. The horn is reminiscent of the Fabia's, and the R&D chief says it's been developed for India; tested to 500,000 operations! Will it need more?? If only we have some decent engines to pull the whole thing tightly together! I wonder if any other shows got similar access. Have to wait and watch. I missed the Autocar show on Bloomberg UTVI, but the C&B Show has a new episode on at 4.30 pm, so they might have that as well. Last edited by crackingride : 12th December 2009 at 13:36.
	() Thanks

12th December 2009, 13:22	#385
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,512 Thanked: 300,675 Times View My Garage	The Polo is not going to be about VFM, atleast I don't think so. European cars are generally "premium", whatever the section they compete in. And to be honest, it's a tough call for anyone to match the cost structures of Maruti, Tata and Hyundai when it comes to the small car segment. The VW's differentiation could be its build, Euro ride & handling, diesel engine and feel good factor. But I don't think they are here to compete on price with say, a Tata Indica.
	() Thanks

12th December 2009, 14:56	#388
S350L-E240 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: India Posts: 1,416 Thanked: 393 Times	The first production car has rolled out from the factory I just hope it does not have beige trim! Volkswagen starts production of first India car- Automobiles-Auto-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times
	() Thanks

12th December 2009, 18:21	#390
hrmanju1 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 186 Thanked: 0 Times	Aaaah, the beige interiors. Royale. Anyone has the youtube link to the new Overdrive video? I want to go and feel the beige. I prefer the UK interiors though. Any scoops from team-bhp? The real insider info on the engines? BTW, has anyone here booked it already? Blind booking i mean.
	() Thanks