Volkswagen Virtus unveil timeline revealed: Will rival Maruti Ciaz, Honda City

Volkswagen is working on a new mid-size sedan, which is expected to be called Virtus. In an interview with CarandBike, Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen India revealed that they will be revealing the Virtus in the first week of March 2022. The Virtus will be launching in May. This information was leaked earlier but now it has been confirmed officially. The production of the sedan will start production in late February or March.

Ashish Gupta said, “We will give you a first glimpse of the car (compact sedan) in the first week of March. If circumstances permit, you’ll be able to see the car physically or in whatever way is possible. It will be a world premiere. We are currently looking at the market introduction in May 2022. So, there’s a good two, two and a half months between the world premiere and the market launch.”

The new Virtus will be replacing the Vento when it gets launched in the Indian market. It will be sharing its platform with the Skoda Slavia, Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. The platform is named MQB-Ao-IN and it is a highly localized version of Volkswagen’s MQB-A0 platform that they are using for vehicles that are sold in the global market. Because of this platform, the Virtus will have a wheelbase of 2,651 mm.

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Engine and gearbox

The engine and gearbox will be shared with Slavia. So, there would be two petrol engines on offer, both of which will be turbocharged. There will be a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder that produces 115 PS of max power and 178 Nm of peak torque. It will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. This engine will be preferred by most people.

Then there will be a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 150 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. This engine will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This engine will be for enthusiasts. Moreover, this engine would make Virtus and Slavia the most powerful mid-size sedans in India.

Design

There will be twin-pod headlamps, the lower variants will get a halogen setup while the higher trims will come with an LED setup. Just like any other Volkswagen vehicle, the design is pretty simple, elegant with straight lines. There will be 5-spoke alloy wheels on the sides and a split tail lamp design.

Features

Virtus will come with a good equipment list. There will be a digital instrument cluster, up to 6 airbags, an electric sunroof, automatic climate control, ventilated front seats, wireless charger, keyless entry, push-button to start/stop the engine, auto-dimming rearview mirror and much more. There would also be an armrest for front and rear occupants. The infotainment system would be carried over from the Volkswagen Taigun, it will come with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Rivals

Volkswagen Virtus will be rivalling against Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Slavia and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Source

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