Volkswagen Virtus may replace the Vento in India
Volkswagen is testing the Virtus on the Indian roads and it has been spotted on the outskirts of Mumbai recently. It is an entry-level sedan from the brand and is already on sale in the international markets. The vehicle spotted in India is a left-hand-drive version and Volkswagen may launch a derivative of the car in the Indian market to replace the ageing Vento.
The Virtus was spotted by Autocar India with a “Left Hand Drive” sticker on it. The car is based on the MQB-A0 platform in the international markets, which is the same platform as the Volkswagen T-Cross. Now that Volkswagen Group has worked on the MQB A0 IN platform, which is the Indian version of the platform and will underpin a lot of upcoming cars from the Volkswagen Group, we believe that an Indian version of the Virtus can be on the cards.
The MQB A0 IN platform will make its debut in the Indian market with the Skoda Kushaq but soon, Volkswagen will launch its products on the same platform. Skoda is heading the India 2.0 strategy for the group and that is why they will launch the first car based on the Indianised platform.
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Not many details are known about the upcoming car at the moment. Since the vehicle will be made for the Indian market, it is likely that it will take some time before the car is ready. If Volkswagen launches the Virtus in India, it will be not before the end of 2021. Volkswagen anyway is planning to launch a model to replace the Vento in the Indian market. After the official unveiling, the launch is expected to happen sometime in early 2022.
Petrol only
We can expect Volkswagen to continue following the petrol engine strategy for the Virtus too. Volkswagen currently does not offer any diesel engine in India and the Virtus can get powered by the 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that will generate around 110 PS of maximum power.
The Virtus will get a 6-speed manual transmission and a torque converter as well. In India, the sedan segment is not doing too well. In fact, there are quite a few manufacturers who have cancelled the plans to launch a sedan in India due to the diminishing sales and the rising popularity of crossovers and SUVs. Apart from the Hyundai Verna, Honda City and Honda Amaze, none of the sedans is popular in the Indian market.
Volkswagen is also planning to launch a slew of other cars based on the MQB A0 IN platform in the Indian market. It also includes a number of SUVs and compact SUVs in the future.
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