Though the black plastic claddings look very nice and fancy when the car is new, they become dull as the car ages.

BHPian chethan.ram recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

With the growing market for micro/mini/compact SUVs, we are seeing most manufacturers using plastic claddings extensively on modern-day cars. These are commonly found on the wheel arches, running board and rear bumper. Though they look very nice and fancy when the car is new, as the car ages they become dull and the looks of the car are totally compromised. Also, if the texture of the plastic is slightly rough, it attracts a lot of dust and is hard to clean. Sharing this post to see if anyone else also feels the same or am I the only one?

Here's what BHPian ashis89 had to say about the matter:

I like it. To me, those cladding give a dual-tone look to the car, just like the Mercedes of the yesteryears (smart beauties they were!)

With proper care, these trims still look new after years. A wipe with trim polish/restorer once a quarter will keep them shining like new. The trims of this 7-year-old Ecosport still look good, IMO. (Pic source: Google)

However, I agree with your point, they're a dust magnet and tough to clean due to their not-so-smooth surface.

Here's what BHPian mayankk had to say about the matter:

Almost half of my Tucson had plastic cladding. Not a modern car though, 2005. But this was painted cladding and a paint job, which included the bumpers, used to cost me Rs 10k every 2 years. That's what painting my whole Fiesta used to cost me.

Why every two years? Because that cladding bore the brunt of countless scrapes and hit all over north India. I was so glad that it was present.

The new stuff on cars, the black cladding, I don't think it will give me as much protection, I'm sure. But it's pretty simple to keep it clean and shiny, there are spray-on-wipe-off products that take about 20 minutes each month to keep it looking like new.

Here's what BHPian JoshMachine had to say about the matter:

In an ideal world, I would have loved totally clean cars, devoid of any cladding/plastic/guards.

But we live in India - so, with cramped parking spaces + idiots driving dangerously + everyone just rushing to scoot off at a traffic light - ultimately, have to live with this:

Tried to cover the bare minimum surface area, though.

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say about the matter:

The plastic cladding designers take over from where the real metal designers exit.

The plastic cladding designers fill in the gaps, where they or their car maker feel that the design was not perhaps thought of or well executed by the real metal designers.

Never mind if the claddings later on fall off, sag, wrinkle, age not so gracefully! In quite a few cases these are the reason why a car looks ugly while ageing.

The black claddings on the Mahindra Armada used to be in any colour as long as it was only black. Body-coloured was an alien word for Mahindra then. A few surviving Armadas without the front bumper or a defaced front grille are telltale signs of the lost battles of TIME versus CLADDINGS. The 1990s saw the earliest entries by plastic cladding designers.

The black add-ons on the Bajaj Super/Chetak’s nose and turn indicators (much later body-coloured) in the 1990s are examples of the original 1940's Wasp design by Piaggio, attempting to get a contemporary look. If defaced minus these add-ons, the scooter in metal looks sad and malnourished.

Today, the attempt is to make the new car look more muscular, macho or more appealing with those claddings in the new, original design.

It's common knowledge that the claddings and such OE add-ons disappear after some 5-10 years from the ASC spare shops and also from the aftermarket shops or websites.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Volkswagen has announced that it will reveal three new models at the 2016 Auto Expo, which will be held from February 5-9, 2016 at Greater Noida. These will include the Indian Compact Sedan, the Passat GTE hybrid sedan and the Tiguan SUV.

Indian Compact Sedan (ICS) - This is a sub-4 m sedan based on the Polo hatchback and Vento sedan. Test mules of the car have been seen on our roads on several occasions. The company claims that it has been designed specifically for India, where cars with a length of less than 4 metres are eligible for excise duty benefits. The vehicle is likely to be called the "Ameo" when it goes on sale. It will compete with the Maruti Dzire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire and Tata Zest.

Click here to read more about the ICS / Ameo

Passat GTE (plug-in hybrid) - This variant of the 8th generation Passat sedan will feature a 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine combined with an electric motor. The combined power output of the two units is 215 BHP. According to Volkswagen, the car has a driving range of over 1,000 km and can cover more than 50 km when driven on electricity alone.

Click here to read more about the Passat

Tiguan - The second-generation Tiguan SUV was revealed in September 2015. Based on Volkswagen's MQB platform, it is longer and wider than its predecessor. In international markets, the car is offered with a choice of 4 petrol and 4 diesel engines. A plug-in hybrid is also available.

Click here to read more about the Tiguan

The Volkswagen pavilion will also have the new Beetle, Jetta, Polo and Cross Polo on display.

Volkswagen has launched the Polo hatchback with additional features at prices starting from Rs. 5.23 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

All variants get door mirrors with integrated turn-indicators. The Comfortline trim level sees the addition of a cooled glove box. The Highline variant gets a cooled glove box, electrically foldable door mirrors and cruise control.

These features are available across variants of the Volkswagen Polo.

There are no mechanical changes to the Polo. It will use the same engines and transmissions as the outgoing model.

Petrol

• 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder, 74 BHP, 110 Nm, 5-speed manual transmission
• 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder, 103 BHP, 175 Nm, 7-speed DSG automatic transmission

Diesel

• 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 89 BHP, 230 Nm, 5-speed manual transmission
• 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder, 103 BHP, 250 Nm, 5-speed manual transmission

Prices:

• Polo 1.2 MPI - Rs. 5,23,500
• Polo 1.5 TDI - Rs. 6,55,800
• Cross Polo Petrol - Rs. 7,04,384
• Cross Polo Diesel - Rs. 8,31,489
• Polo GT TSI - Rs. 8,41,466
• Polo GT TDI Rs. 8,41,524

Volkswagen launched the Cross Polo in India about two years ago. Since then, it has not received any updates except for a tweaked interior and the addition of a petrol engine. Now, the company is believed to be working on a facelifted version of the car.

The Cross Polo is set to receive a set of new 16-inch alloy wheels and other bits to differentiate it from the regular Polo. Some of the parts from the updated European spec Cross Polo could be used as well.

The pseudo crossover shares most of its features with the hatchback. Now, it is likely to receive some additional equipment as well. With the additions, Volkswagen will try to make it competitive enough to take on the Hyundai Active i20.

Mechanically, the Cross Polo is likely to continue unchanged. It will use the same engines and transmissions from the current model. Engine options include a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder TDI diesel engine with 89 BHP and 230 Nm of torque on tap and a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder MPI petrol engine that puts out 74 BHP and 110 Nm of torque. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The updated Cross Polo is expected to be launched by the end of 2015.

Source: Autocar India

Volkswagen India has announced the launch of the Cross Polo 1.2 MPI. The car has been priced at Rs. 6.94 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).

The Cross Polo 1.2 MPI is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine that develops 74 bhp and 110 Nm of torque. The company claims that car can return 16.47 km to the litre of petrol.

The Cross Polo 1.2 MPI will be available in three body colours - Flash Red, Deep Black and Reflex Silver. The car is equipped with dual-beam halogen headlamps with black finish, 15-inch alloy wheels, 'Cross' bumpers with silver accents, silver-painted roof rails and rear-view mirror housing and 'Cross' front grille with chrome accents.

The interiors of the car feature a leather-wrapped flat-bottomed steering wheel, Cloud Titan black upholstery and Climatronic automatic air-conditioning. On the safety front, the Cross Polo comes equipped with dual front airbags and anti-lock braking system.

Bookings of the new Cross Polo will commence in January 15, 2015.

Just about a month after revealing pictures of the Polo hatchback facelift, Volkswagen has released pictures and details of the pseudo SUV based on it, the 2014 Cross Polo. The release comes ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, which will be held next month.

The exterior of the 2014 Cross Polo gets some light cosmetic changes over the current model. These include smoked tail lamp clusters and new 17-inch alloys. The Cross Polo is now offered in two new body colours. Going by the pictures, there do not seem to be any more tweaks to the car's exterior.

On the inside, the Cross Polo features new interior fabrics.

Mechanically, the 2014 Cross Polo gets a range of TSI and TDI engines. There is a new electro-mechanical power steering as well.