[Amartya]

If the speculations are even close to the mark, I agree that the Polo wouldn't be a mega success. I am not sure though what VW would try to do, whether it would aim for say 1000-1200 units a month and gradually let the market understand that their brand stands for quality or it would try to first capture market share.

I think by the time the Polo is launched, Tata-Fiat and Hyundai would have pulled up their socks and the Punto and i20 would be very hard to beat. I may be considered mad to say that the Punto can improve it's sales, but I do believe that slowly but surely Fiat is getting the A.S.S. right and the goodwill generated by the Linea will eventually rub-off on the Punto too.

So the Polo will have it's work cut out.

[nurni76]

Originally Posted by Amartya

If the speculations are even close to the mark, I agree that the Polo wouldn't be a mega success. I am not sure though what VW would try to do, whether it would aim for say 1000-1200 units a month and gradually let the market understand that their brand stands for quality or it would try to first capture market share.

I think by the time the Polo is launched, Tata-Fiat and Hyundai would have pulled up their socks and the Punto and i20 would be very hard to beat. I may be considered mad to say that the Punto can improve it's sales, but I do believe that slowly but surely Fiat is getting the A.S.S. right and the goodwill generated by the Linea will eventually rub-off on the Punto too.

So the Polo will have it's work cut out.

Yes Polo will have its work cut out especially with cars like Swift and I20 going strong. But I feel Punto will be affected more (not that there is any significant number to gain from Punto) since Polo looks hot and is better built than the Fiat (atleast the interiors).

[brakehorsepower]

i remember reading in newspapers that the car would start at a price of 4.25 lacs fr the base version(it must be 1.2 htp engine doing suty currently in fabia but with lower gear ratios) and considering the diesel is a 1.2l it must start at 5.5 or something is my speculation and go upto 6.4.
lets see and the car is not going to be premium than the skoda fabia surely because i remember reading in the newspaper that the the head of vw india saying that vw will be priced under the fabia and skoda will remain a more premium brand than vw in india alone(atleast in the case of polo).
i would like yo see a diesel comparison between the i20,swift,fabia,punto and the polo.petrol polo will just not do numbers here.
i remember reading in a few posts that the polo is heavy compared to the rivals, i would like to know the kerb weight of the polo so that we fellow bhpians can get an idea what the polo can do.(pls keep in mind that the engines are just 1200cc 3cylinder)

[recshenoy]

Originally Posted by 1-Testosterone

i20 is a perfect hatch in India. Diesel, fully loaded and value for money. There are handful of manufacturers I see challenging or even eclipsing i20 - TATA, GM or Suzuki.

OT:

IMO, i dont think Diesel i20 is not value for Money. 6.8L ex showroom (bangalore) for a disel i20 is too high!

People,

Kindly advice average monthly sales of i20 diesel!

[Daewood]

The Polo link in the Indian Volkswagen site is removed.
Are they planning to change the specs or features based on feedback from site-visitors or from the feedback obtained from auto expo?

[dhrishikesh]

The VW Polo that VW India showcased at Auto Expo 2010 is having 1.4L TDi Diesel Engine & 1.2L Petrol Engine, this means that it will be a direct competitor to i20 Diesel & Petrol, Punto MJD & Saffire Petrol.

[montoo]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Leaving out the service factors, how does the Polo compare with the Fabia? Is it much more desirable? A first glance, for me, says no.

i have seen both cars.in my opinion fabia looks more value for money than polo(fit and finish).fabia's interior looks rich.

[tj123]

If the Polo is priced at 6+ Lacs then it is doomed for sure as OTR prices in cities like Bangalore will be around 8 lacs, which is Honda Jazz territory.
I am sure then the POLO will be Jazzed from a sales point of view.

VW has to price the car sensibly as Indian is an extremely price sensitive market. They have to get things right the first time else, POLO will be dead on arrival for sure.

Look wise its average & performance wise its average. Build quality may be good but if it is not Value for money then its success is a question mark.

[erohit]

Originally Posted by tj123

VW has to price the car sensibly as Indian is an extremely price sensitive market. They have to get things right the first time else, POLO will be dead on arrival for sure.

Look wise its average & performance wise its average. Build quality may be good but if it is not Value for money then its success is a question mark.

I agree. However with Indian customers you can never be sure which car will be success. For example I20 is not VFM car but still its a success. IMHO i20 is overpriced by 40-50K and there is nothing special for this overprice.

Polo will be priced from 4.39 and will go till 6.98 and I don't think it will be a run away success. We all were very excited with Punto launch as well and most of us said its pricing is also good (base model at 3.99 at par with swift, uva) but now it is selling in few hundreds. We indians are generally loyal to a brand. Maurti, Hyundai, Honda are the car manufacturers which enjoy this loyalty and this results in success of their cars.

Having said that, I think Polo will do 2K-3K in numbers (will take 500 customers from Punto, 500 from swift + Fabia + and rest from i10 + i20 + uva).

This might be a success for them but for me its a flop.

[mkh]

Originally Posted by erohit

I agree. However with Indian customers you can never be sure which car will be success. For example I20 is not VFM car but still its a success. IMHO i20 is overpriced by 40-50K and there is nothing special for this overprice.

Polo will be priced from 4.39 and will go till 6.98 and I don't think it will be a run away success. We all were very excited with Punto launch as well and most of us said its pricing is also good (base model at 3.99 at par with swift, uva) but now it is selling in few hundreds. We indians are generally loyal to a brand. Maurti, Hyundai, Honda are the car manufacturers which enjoy this loyalty and this results in success of their cars.

Having said that, I think Polo will do 2K-3K in numbers (will take 500 customers from Punto, 500 from swift + Fabia + and rest from i10 + i20 + uva).

This might be a success for them but for me its a flop.

i-20 became VFM once the jazz was launched, so basically its the only proper choice people had when looking at a premium hatch - punto did not make a dent at all for reasons aplenty even though technically and looks wise its a fantastic car.
I do not think Polo will flop, jazz would have taught some lesson for sure- depends on what numbers they are targeting and what actually they end up with...all said apart - no other car has attracted that much attention off late as the polo

[pgsagar]

It is difficult to speculate at this point in time which way the Polo would go. It's looks are too plain jane. Not earth shattering like Chevy Beat. And a 3-cylinder diesel engine? 3-cyl engines are notorious for vibes and harshness. So I don't see much going for it except low sticker price and that all important German logo on the hood. But who knows; these last two traits may as well be their recipe for success.

[theEnd]

Nobody expected the Polo to be at the lower end of the 'premium' hatch segment. But there were many who expected the Polo to come in at the top end of the segment.

By trying to lower the price, VW has lost the only thing that the Polo had going for it, the expectation that it would be the best 'premium' hatch in the country. Now the highest variant of the Polo (1.6 Highline) has less equipment than an i20 and has fewer features than a Swift Zxi. Being a heavier car, its probably slower than a Palio 1.6 or Getz CRDI, and - after the removal of the smoked headlamps, detailed tail-lights and LED indicators found on the European Polo - it looks dated and boring next to a Grande Punto or Jazz.

If VW had at least provided good specs on the 1.6 petrol Highline (like Climate control, electrically adjustable, heated door mirrors, steering mounted audio controls, side airbags), then that would be the clear choice at the top of the segment.

Its funny to read the brochure... to fill up space they wax eloquently about 'features' such as tow hooks, grab handles above doors, vehicle tools (thank you VW for offering us a car jack!), and front disc brakes! When was the last time you saw a car without front disc brakes? I'm surprised they didn't list "4 doors and 4 seats" or "roof" as features!

And what's with the antiquated engines? And no automatic?

To sum it up... Neither here... nor there.

[chncar]

Originally Posted by Amartya

If the speculations are even close to the mark, I agree that the Polo wouldn't be a mega success. I am not sure though what VW would try to do, whether it would aim for say 1000-1200 units a month and gradually let the market understand that their brand stands for quality or it would try to first capture market share.

The problem is that the brand doesn't stand for quality in most markets including America. The Japs have usurped that mantle decades ago.

The only place where VW has a reputation for quality is in UK/Europe, where that quality comes at a price and there too they are increasingly under pressure from Korean and Jap brands.

VW could have built a reputation for quality if it sold a fully loaded Polo or perhaps a Golf in India, however their offering especially the engines are extremely underwhelming and no amount of solid build or other qualities is going to compensate for lack of parity in features.

[Desmosedici]

The latest rumours doings the rounds are that the Polo will be prices 6Lakh+ ex showroom delhi though not really sure and the website is not too detailed.

Further this looks like a model not on the same lines as what we saw on the european models, the headlamp looks, the grill etc.

Todays ET featured an article which mentioned that Alto is going to be the prime torchbearer for Maruti, atleast in Metros where the emmission norms are getting stringent and the M800 will be discontinued in Metro Cities. Furthermore the Swift will have a new 1.2 Litre K Series Engine and there will be a price reduction of around 30K due to excise benefits that will passed on to the customers. If this is going to happen soon, Volkswagen and other new launchers better watch out.

Cheers

[theEnd]

Originally Posted by chncar

the engines are extremely underwhelming and no amount of solid build or other qualities is going to compensate

Indeed, it will be very difficult for those puny 3 cylinder mills to pull all that heavy German sheet metal.

Looks like VW has already lost the plot.