6 new Cars from Skoda & Volkswagen for India: Hyundai Creta challenger to new Volkswagen Vento

Earlier this year, the Volkswagen Group revealed its plans for India as part of its India 2.0 strategy. The new strategy sees VW’s Czech subsidiary Skoda take the lead in India and the group plans to bring in 6 new cars into India as the Automotive conglomerate looks to make a refreshed charge into the Indian market in the next decade.

What will set apart these new cars is the fact that they will be petrol only models as VW looks to ditch diesel in a future, which will see it go all electric by the middle of the next decade. All 6 cars will be underpinned by the Volkswagen Group’s India-specific MQB A0 IN platform and will be manufactured at Volkswagen’s Chakan facilities. The carmaker is expected to export quite a few of these models to international markets as well. In this post let’s take a look at these six new cars that will start hitting Indian roads in 2020.

Skoda compact SUV

An all-new compact SUV from Skoda is what will lead the charge from the Volkswagen Group into India as per its new strategy. The new SUV will be based on the Vision X concept SUV which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The new Skoda SUV will be based on Volkswagen’s India MQB A0 IN platform. Powering the all-new Skoda SUV could be the VW Group’s 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine or the 1.0-litre turbo petrol. Skoda is also said to be contemplating a CNG version of this all-new SUV which will be a premium rival for the class-leading Hyundai Creta.

VW T-Cross

The first salvo from Volkswagen as part of its new alliance will be the T-Cross SUV. The T-Cross is Volkswagen’s newest international SUV and will be made in multiple regions. The T-Cross was revealed in production guise earlier this year and the India-spec version of the T-Cros is expected to be closely related to the South American model which is also based on the VW Group’s MQB AO platform. The Inda-spec model is expected to share powertrain options with Skoda’s upcoming compact SUV.

Skoda Rapid replacement

The Skoda Rapid is getting a bit long in the tooth, whichever way you look at it. While it looked quite cool when it arrived a long while back, the exterior is showing multiple signs and a refresh is long overdue. However, Skoda’s replacement for the Rapid, which will be using the new MQB A0 IN platform as the Volkswagen Virtus (Vento replacement). Powertrain options are said to include the new 1.0-litre turbo and the current 1.5-litre turbo both of which will be compliant with the upcoming BS-VI norms. However, if the smaller engine is opted for, expect a drop in performance to help them meet the new emission regulations

VW Vento Replacement/ Virtus

The Volkswagen Vento like the Skoda Rapid is in need of a good old refresh. While its boxy design gor the people’s attention when it came out quite a while back, it now looks rather boring thanks to the same old nearly unchanged design. Volkswagen will be replacing the Vento with the Virtus. However, unlike its Skoda sibling, the Virtus will only arrive in 2023, two years after the arrival of Skoda’s sedan. Like the Skoda before it, the Virtus is expected to be offered with petrol engine options including the 1.0-litre and the 1.5-litre units seen on the locals as an asset.

New VW Polo

The Volkswagen Polo is the carmaker’s subtle entry-level offering in India. The Polo spawned India’s, most powerful hot hatchback offering in a while now. The new Polo is expected to be offered with the 1.0-litre turbo petrol that could end up powering the rest of the stock around. The next-gen Polo will not be the European-spec model but instead, the hatchback will be underpinned by the new MQB A0 !N platform instead to help keep costs down.

New VW Ameo

The Volkswagen Ameo is currently the most powerful offering in the segment and like every other car in this list will be losing its diesel motor soon. The New Ameo is also set to lose out on power as the new 1.0-litre engine could end up with a lot less power where it finally hits Indian roads in the next decade. The Ameo too will be underpinned by the MQB A0 IN platform.