It’s been a couple of years since the Volkswagen Polo hatchback was launched in India, as the German automaker’s first mass volume car in the Indian market.
It’s been a couple of years since the Volkswagen Polo hatchback was launched in India, as the German automaker’s first mass volume car in the Indian market. The Polo has been a decent seller for Volkswagen, with its solid build quality, good driving dynamics and high quality interiors being major selling points of the car. However, over the last few months, the Polo’s sales have slumped by a large margin due to the car’s high asking price deterring customers looking for more value, at a time when interest rates have tightened even as the Indian economy has been slowing down. So, the time it seems, is pretty ripe for a facelift, which could do its bit to lift up Polo sales.
2012 Volkswagen Polo Hatchback
AutocarIndia reports that the Polo hatchback is due for a mid career facelift. The Polo is currently available with two naturally aspirated petrol engines and a turbo diesel engine. Both the engines are mated to five speed manual transmissions. The refreshed Polo is expected to get visual changes both on the exteriors and the interior. On the outside, the Polo is expected to get refreshed headlamps and a new alloy wheel design. On the inside, a new music system with bluetooth connectivity and audio mounted controls are said to be the major changes. Also, an automatic version of the Polo petrol is said to be on the anvil.
An automatic gearbox for the Polo could be a good addition as the demand for automatic cars is steadily increasing. Currently, only one car in the B+ segment hatchback space is offered with an automatic gearbox in the form of the Hyundai i20 hatchback. The arrival of the Polo automatic will widen the choice for car buyers. While there are some reports circulating about Volkswagen discontinuing the 1.6 Liter petrol engined Polo, the non-availability of the top end Polo 1.6 could do more to have with the facelift arriving rather than the German automaker discontinuing the 1.6 Liter motor from the Indian Polo line up once and for all.
If indeed Volkswagen plans to cull the 1.6 Liter petrol engined Polo, we’d love to see the German brand upping the engine capacity on the diesel engined Polo to make for a hot hatch. A 1.5 Liter TDI diesel engine, like the one used on the Polo race-spec versions could just be what the doctor ordered to serve as a flagship variant of the Polo line up. What say, Volkswagen?
Source AutocarIndia