Volkswagen brings 99 Polo GTIs to India

As part of its soft launch, the company has offered select customers pre-orders for the Volkswagen Polo GTI. The company is bringing 99 cars to India in its first batch. 

The Polo GTI is estimated to be priced at around Rs 18-20 lakh in India, according to an NDTV report. 

The car comes packed with a 1.8-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that dishes out a power of 190 bhp and 250Nm torque. The car can do 0-100 kmph in just 6.7 seconds and has a top speed of 235 km per hour.

The company did not respond by the time of publishing this article.

The Polo GTI will be the first 3-door hatch to be launched by the company in India, it will be followed by a 5-door version sometime next year.

The category which the car is placed at technically does not exist right now in India and the closest competitor is expected to be the Fiat Abarth 595 Competizione which is priced much higher at Rs 29.85 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The car in comparison has much lower power of 157.8 bhp and 230Nm torque.

The Volkswagen Beetle which is priced at Rs 28 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) too has a lower powered 1395 cc engine that dishes out 148 BHP and 250Nm torque. The Mini Cooper with similar specifications too is priced at Rs 29.9 lakh (ex-showroom).

At this price point the car is placed well and will compete with the Skoda Octavia (Rs 19 lakhs), Chevrolet Cruz (Rs 17.51 lakh), Toyota Corolla Altis (Rs 18.67 lakh), Hyundai Elentra (Rs 19.19 lakh).
While the VW Polo GTI comes with much powerful engine at the price point, the other cars have the advantage that they are four-door sedans.

VW said that its sales in October grew by 70% as against the same period last year, selling 5534 units.