Volkswagen Polo, Race Polo unveiled at Auto Expo 2010

Volkswagen has unveiled the much-anticipated Volkswagen Polo small car in India, along with the Race Polo, at the Auto Expo 2010, on January 5, 2010.

The Volkswagen Polo will be available in three trim levels, Polo TrendLine, Polo ComfortLine, and Polo HighLine.

Latest Auto Expo 2010 News

Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen A.G, with responsibility for Group Production said, “The Volkswagen brand plays an important role in our success story. The new Polo is a key player in our ongoing strategy. It is an outstanding model in the exceptional range of the Volkswagen Group.”

The 1.2-litre Volkswagen Polo will be available in both petrol and diesel versions. The petrol engine will churn out a maximum power of 75 bhp @5400 rpm and maximum torque of 110nm @ 3750 rpm. The diesel engine will offer 75 bhp @ 4200 rpm and maximum torque of 180 nm @2000 rpm.

The exterior of the Volkswagen Polo will have body coloured bumpers with green tinted heat absorbing glass, halogen headlights and galvanized Body with six years Anti Corrosion Warranty, the company said.

Other specifications of the Volkswagen Polo include ABS and electronic Anti theft immobilizer, driver and passenger air bags, 15-inch alloy wheels, dual air bag, CD and MP3 player with 4 speakers, central locking, power steering, height adjustable driving seats, and an unique boot opener.

The Volkswagen Polo will go on sale in March 2010. The company has not revealed any information about the pricing of the Volkswagen Polo variants, but has said that the small car will be competitively priced in the Indian market.

The Volkswagen Polo will be priced in the range of the Honda Jazz, Hyundai i20, and Skoda Fabia. The car will compete against A2 segment cars like the Suzuki Swift, and Fiat Punto in India.

There has been speculation that the base model of the Volkswagen Polo will be priced around Rs 4.75 lakhs. It will be interesting to see if the Volkswagen Polo will also be available at killer prices, like the Chevrolet Beat, that was also launched today at the Auto Expo 2010.

The company has said that the Volkswagen Polo will have 50 per cent localisation and will be rolled out of Volkswagen’s Chakan plant, in Pune, Maharashtra. At the time when the Volkswagen Polo went into trial production at the Chakan plant, the company had said that it had plans to gradually increase the local content to 80 per cent over two years.

The Volkswagen Polo went into production at the Chakan plant in December 2009.

The maximum capacity of the Chakan plant is 110,000 vehicles per year, and the company plans to scale up the headcount to 2500 by the end of 2010.

The Volkswagen Polo will come in silver, white, red and blue colours, and maybe in orange, at a later date.

Volkswagen also revealed a racing version of the Polo, the Volkswagen Race Polo, for the Volkswagen Polo Cup that will start in June 2010. The company also plans to launch a sedan version of the Volkswagen Polo, later in 2010.

The Race Polo will be powered by a 1.6-litre R4 common rail diesel engine offering 130 HP@4400 rpm and torque of 250 Nm@ 1500-2500 rpm.

It comes with 6-speed manual gearbox, aerodynamic body kit with front and rear spoiler, 17-inch alloy wheels, adjustable Sachs race suspension, built-in head protection in the race seat, a 6 point seatbelt prepared for HANS System, and additional display and data logger system with on board camera.

Safety features of the Volkswagen Race Polo include FIA approved roll cage, fire extinguisher system, ventilated 312 mm disk front and 232 mm disc brake rear, electrical cut- off system and a race brake system with four-piston fixed caliper.