For past few years, Volkswagen was in a fix about whether to go ahead with India specific products or not, as this European manufacturer always claim to offer cars exactly same as what they are offering globally.
For past few years, Volkswagen was in a fix about whether to go ahead with India specific products or not, as this European manufacturer always claim to offer cars exactly same as what they are offering globally. But fascination of churning out the higher sales volumes, failed to keep them out of the pond and finally VW is ready to jump into it with Ameo– their first India specific sub 4 meter sedan. Basically, Ameo is the chopped-off version of their popular sedan – the Vento.
Volkswagen Ameo looks identical with Vento till C-pillar.
As a part of their marketing act, the car is being showcasedat various occasions and finally it is getting ready to enter production lines of Volkswagen plant in Chakan, Pune. Company is about to start the third production shift, which will increase their production capacity by about 15 percent. Officials say that this has been done to accommodate this new car and to cater to growing demand in the overseas markets. VW India has invested about INR 720 cr for this project. The addition of shift will result in creation of additional 800 job opportunities.
Volkswagen Ameo’s tail end design is a hit or miss, you may or may not like it. Like that of many other compact sedans.
The project of Volkswagen Ameo left every other sibling under developmentbehind and has been fast-tracked to take the advantage of growing demand for sub-four meter sedans. When launched, it will compete against Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Hyundai Xcent, Ford Aspire, Tata Zest, Honda Amaze. Currently the average monthly demand for compact sedans in India stands at around 28,000 – 29,000 units, out of which dominating share is owned by Maruti Dzire which manage to retail around 17,000 units. Volkswagen aims to crack the market with its own set of values like solid built quality, powerful yet efficient engines, basic standard safety features and advanced DSG automatic transmission.
VW plans to fight with against competition with advanced features like Mirror Link enable touchscreen infotainment system.
For Ameo, expect the engine lineup to be identical with that being offered on Polo. The 1.2 liter MPI petrol engine which produces 74 bhp could be plonked under the hood, instead of 1.6 liter unit of Vento. No doubt, the diesel unit will be 1.5 liter TDi unit which produces 90 bhp. Volkswagen has packed in lot of features inside the cabin like rear AC vent, ambient lighting, chilled glovebox, Mirror Link enabled touchscreen infotainment system, cruise control, auto dimming IRVM, rain sensing wipers, automatic climate control etc. Company has already declared that it will offer dual front airbags, ABS, ESP and Hill Hold function as a part of standard safety kit across the range. The Ameo is expected to launch in the month May or June and may carry a starting price tag of Rs. 5.49 lakhs.
Volkswagen bets big on Ameo for high volumes.