Volkswagen has increased prices of the Polo and the Vento by up to 2.27%. The price increase is effective immediately. The company says this increase is because it has added features to the Volkswagen Polo and the Volkswagen Vento, as well as to cover increasing raw material costs.
Is the price increase worth it?
So how much have prices gone up and are the added features worth it? The Volkswagen Polo Highline diesel variant, for instance, which used to cost Rs. 6.94 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, will now cost Rs. 7.10 lakh ex-showroom, an increase of nearly Rs. 16,000. The Volkswagen Vento Highline diesel, which used to cost Rs. 9.89 lakh ex-showroom Delhi, will now cost Rs. 10.12 lakh, an increase of close to Rs. 23,000.
Is such a steep price increase justified at this point? Volkswagen has added a couple of features to the top-end variants of these cars to justify the price increase. The big feature it has added is an upgraded music system. The new RCD 320 music system in the Polo and Vento Highline models comes with built-in Bluetooth, USB, SD card and Aux-in functions. Till now Volkswagen was offering Bluetooth as an optional extra standalone device that clipped to the sunvisor. Also see: Pros and cons of Volkswagen Vento
New features on Polo
The Volkswagen Polo also gets a climatronic AC (automatic climate control), which was a feature missing from it so far, but present in its main rivals such as the Hyundai i20 and Maruti Swift. This makes the Polo slightly more feature rich, but it still is a bit too premium when you compare it with its main rivals, when you consider the features it offers. Also see: Volkswagen Polo video review
The Hyundai i20 Asta still offers more – it has parking sensors and a reverse camera, as well as push-button ignition. However, when you compare the features the Polo is offering with the Maruti Swift – they are both at a par now, with the Polo going one-up offering Bluetooth, which is something the Swift still does not have. The Maruti Swift is priced at Rs. 6.87 lakh for its top-end ZDI variant, making it about Rs. 22,000 cheaper than the Polo, while the Hyundai i20 Asta diesel is priced at Rs. 7.57 lakh, more expensive than the Polo, but also more powerful and loaded with a few more goodies. Also read: Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TSI turbo-petrol coming soon
So while the price increase is a bit steep for both the Volkswagen Polo and the Volkswagen Vento, these cars are still quite competitive – and this price increase isn’t really going to dent their popularity much, considering all carmakers are in the process of, or have increased prices.
Share your thoughts on this price hike – do you think the Polo and Vento are now better value for money with their added features?
