1991 User Manual

Following the launch of the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI and Cross Polo earlier this year, the carmaker introduced another Polo variant in the form of the diesel-powered Polo GT TDI in September. And there’s good news in store for buyers interested in the new 1.6-litre diesel engine-equipped Polo. Just two months after the new car’s launch, Volkswagen dealerships are already offering the car with a flat Rs 25,000 discount. What’s more, dealerships are also throwing in three years’ worth of insurance for free, along with three years of extended warranty and three years of free maintenance for the car. This scheme applies only if you buy the hatchback on loan though. Some dealerships are also offering a Rs 15,000 cash discount on the Volkswagen Cross Polo to try and counter the poor demand for the hatchback in India. The 1.2-litre turbo-petrol-powered Volkswagen Polo GT TSI, however, doesn’t have any discounts or schemes available on it. We also found out that the 1.6-litre petrol variant of the Volkswagen Vento also has the same deals going on it as the Polo GT TDI, which is a Rs 25,000 discount, or three years’ worth of insurance, extended warranty and maintenance free if you buy the car on loan.

New Volkswagen Polo 1.6 diesel to be performance as well as economy oriented and will get a GTD moniker. The concept of hot hatches hasn’t worked in India primarily because the amount of fuel they guzzle far outweighs the driving pleasure they offer. But with the Polo GTD, VW looks to provide a winning combination of performance and fuel economy. The carmaker plans to launch India’s first diesel hot hatch by plonking the Vento’s 1.6-litre diesel motor under the hood. Performance is likely to be better than the current Vento saloon as the Polo weighs 90kg less. The GTD is expected to have a lot more attitude with a body kit, low-profile tyres and other sporty bits as part of the package, spicing the hatch up. VW plans to launch the Polo GTD early in 2013. The heavily accessorised GTD will cost significantly more than the existing 1.2 diesel Polo as the excise duty will be higher on the 1.6 engine. But then, VW is not expecting very large volumes for this one and hopes it will be a brand-enhancer.

Toyota will showcase a new concept saloon at the upcoming Detroit Motor show. Badged Furia, the car was announced via a short video that shows glimpses and close ups of the bodywork. The car features carbonfibre detailing, including a neat lip spoiler on the bootlid, and a radical new front and rear light design that looks as if it could be intended for production cars. It is possible that the Furia will showcase a new Corolla, due for replacement in the next two years.

German carmaker Volkswagen is in the midst of planning a compact saloon for India. Fast emerging as one of the most profitable segments to be in, the sales of compact saloons are booming despite the downturn in the market. The Maruti Swift Dzire, for example, even in these difficult times, averages approximately 16,000 cars a month. New entrants to this sub-segment are doing well too. Sales of the new Honda Amaze have steadily been rising. Honda sold a total of 9564 Amazes this month, and the trend is still on the up. As a result, putting together the right compact saloon has become priority number one at Volkswagen India, with the engineering and product teams working flat-out to get the right car to the market. But what makes for a successful compact saloon? Sure, it’s all about the right price to begin with, but as customers today evolve, there are other essential elements to the cars that are important too. The right amount of space, enough features to excite potential customers and the right powertrain are just some of them. No wonder then, Volkswagen is pulling out all stops to get things right. Word from inside the company is that the German carmaker, crazy as it may sound, is working not on one car, but two! However, only one car will be finally chosen for production. The first of this pair of cars VW is looking at to fulfill the compact saloon role is, obviously, a truncated or chopped Vento. The Vento may basically just be a Polo with an extended wheelbase and boot, but the sub-four-metre version will address many of the shortcomings of both cars. Built on the same 2552mm wheelbase as the Vento, this car will have more space on the inside than the Polo, and because it will be taxed as a compact, it will be much more affordable than the Vento. That’s two birds with one stone. Also, because VW will have to pay less tax, it will have a larger budget to spend on features, options and accessories. The company, however, is facing a design challenge as the car will have to be heavily modified, both at the front and rear, to make it duck under four metres, and it could look odd. To compound matters, VW wouldn’t be able to sell this car in other markets, so justifying the expense will be difficult. Volkswagen is also looking at the alternative of an even more affordable sub-four-metre car. While the Vento is based on the Polo (PQ25 platform), the company could create a saloon version of the Up city car (PQ12 New Small Family platform) for markets like India, where legroom at the rear is important. The Up currently has a wheelbase of 2420mm. That’s shorter than something like the Dzire at 2430mm, yet longer than the Amaze’s 2405mm. But Volkswagen is unlikely to be able to package the interiors as tightly as Honda has; the latter masterfully uses a slim dashboard and flat seats in the Amaze and Brio for great space efficiency. The German carmaker could, however, build the Up saloon on the Taigun’s longer 2470mm wheelbase; the Taigun, after all, is built on the same platform as the Up. This would help the manufacturer leverage tremendous economies of scale since the Taigun has all but been signed off for India. However, whichever car VW opts for, it will have to move forward on a couple of issues before the car comes to market.

For a start, there’s the issue of the diesel engine. The company’s 1500cc diesel is already being worked on (coded EA189), but it will have to be ready if VW chooses to go with the sub-four-metre Vento or the car won’t qualify for an excise cut. And should the Up-based saloon be selected, VW will have to work hard to fit its new 1,400cc three-cylinder diesel (coded EA288) under the hood. This engine will, in all likelihood, power the Taigun. But VW will have to extend the nose of the car to make it fit; the engine is a bit too wide. The other thing Volkswagen may have to do for the Indian market is lower its sky-high quality standards. All Volkswagens, Polos included, are built to the same exacting global standards, which often surpass the quality levels of many competitors. Most of the time, these details are invisible to the untrained eye. And spending money on something the customer can’t see, unfortunately, is a luxury VW can’t afford if it wants to stay competitive with the players in India. VW is clear; it wants the best possible compact saloon for India, and that’s great news if you are in the market for one.

Upmarket, macho Yamaha scooter to join 113cc Ray. 2013 looks like becoming the year of the scooter in the Indian two-wheeler market. We only just brought you news of veteran scooter maker Bajaj working towards fine tuning an all-new exciting scooter, and know that Vespa will shortly launch another 125cc scooter. Honda meanwhile just launched their revised Activa, Aviator and Dio scooters with a freshly engineered, 109cc, Honda Eco Technology (HET) enabled engine. All of which has the scooter segment basking in the limelight, with every other manufacturer striving overtime to keep pace with the booming market growth, to establish their footprint in the space before others. Yamaha hasn’t really been missing out on much action here, having recently launched the Ray, a 113cc, automatic transmission scooter in late 2012. The Ray targets the fairer sex, but here’s further confirmation Yamaha are now on the verge of introducing a larger, all-new and macho automatic scooter, in a bid to make deeper inroads into our scooter market. It’s still early days, with Yamaha staying mum on the subject, but do expect to see contemporary, angular and sharp styling on this new Yamaha scooter, that will grab the attention of male buyers looking for automatic scooters. In keeping with their DNA, we do expect the new Yamaha scooter to score high on performance as well as handling, proving to make a zippy and attractive scooter option to ride in India. The new Yamaha scooter is expected to come equipped with telescopic fork front suspension, with a features list at par with scooters currently on sale in India. Yamaha’s latest scooter will house a four-stroke, single-cylinder and air-cooled engine displacing in the region of 125cc, offering the conveniences of an electric starter and automatic transmission. Expect this engine to offer slightly more power than provided by the Ray. There currently exists a blank in the scooter market that no manufacturer has addressed, with several seasoned motorcyclists looking for a powerful, able handling automatic scooter, and it’s exactly this segment Yamaha’s upcoming new scooter will target. Yamaha plans to launch this exciting new scooter by around mid 2013. Stay tuned for more!