Volkswagen India has imported the 1.0-litre TSI variant of the Polo for testing purposes and will be launching the performance spec Polo GTi with 192 PS of power early next year.
Volkswagen has big plans for the Indian market that will not only see heavy investment from the automaker but also a slew of new products and powertrain being introduced over the next couple of years. Following up on the same, the German auto giant has imported the Polo 1.0-litre TSI variant in the country for testing purposes hinting towards the small capacity petrol engine being launched at some point in the future.
Now, the current 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI petrol motor is one of the smallest mills Volkswagen makes globally and is a relatively advanced unit powering models right from the Up! to the Golf in the automaker’s lineup. On the European spec Polo, this naturally aspirated 1.0-litre motor is available in two states of tune pushing out 60 PS and 75 PS respectively being more fuel efficient and low on CO2 emissions. There is also the 1.0 BlueMotion TSI version available that churns out 95 PS and 110 PS of power respectively.
While the new 1.0-litre motor definitely makes a lot of sense for India, the motor will have to be heavily adapted to domestic conditions including fuel flexibility, not to mention a more effective pricing. We don’t expect the small capacity motor to be introduced in the immediate future, but given the fact that testing has begun, our hopes are surely alive. All said, while the 1.0-litre TSI powered Polo may be environment friendly, the automaker has some special plans for the Indian motoring enthusiast.
As per recent reports, Volkswagen will be launching the Polo GTi in the country in March 2016 making it the most powerful hatchback to go on sale in the country. The Polo GTi is powered by a 1.8-litre TSI petrol engine (also powers the Skoda Octavia and Audi A3) tuned to produce 192 PS between 4200-6200 RPM and 320 Nm of torque available between 1450-4200 RPM, paired to the 7-speed DSG autobox. 0-100 km/hr comes up in 6.7 seconds while the top speed is rated at 236 km/hr. Those are just absolutely bonkers performance figures nothing short of cargasmic. Expect a price tag close to the Rs. 20 lakh mark (ex-showroom) that will make performance relatively accessible.
Source – Zauba.com