Volkswagen recently launched the Polo GT TSI, which is the performance version of the Polo hatchback. The German automaker has put all plans of launching new products on hold and will continue to bring out more variants of the Polo and Vento in the Indian market. The company is already working on the CrossPolo (a jacked up version of the Polo which will make for a pseudo compact SUV) and a sub 4-metre Vento sedan (which will benefit from lower excise duties, thereby competing against the likes of the Honda Amaze and Maruti DZire).
Volkswagen’s next launch in India is the Polo GT TDI, which we recently spotted in Mumbai. The vehicle was parked and we could only get a quick picture of the rear. However a quick glimpse of the interiors revealed the 7-speed DSG box. Volkswagen is positioning the GT variants at a premium and is thus offering them with the DSG transmission. The Polo GT TSI is priced at Rs. 9.33 lakhs and one can expect the Polo GT TDI to be priced around Rs. 10.50 lakhs (all prices on-road, Mumbai).
The high price of the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI can be attributed to the fact that it doesn’t get any excise duty benefits. The 1.6-litre diesel engine comes from the Vento but it won’t produce the same output of 105 BHP and 250 Nm. Instead Volkswagen will offer a detuned version of the same engine for better fuel economy. The Polo GT TDI will produce 93 BHP of power at 4200 RPM and 230 Nm of torque between 1750-2500 RPM. The vehicle will get all the features present in the GT TSI.
There have been reports of DSG boxes blowing up and Volkswagen has increased their warranty to 10-years in China. However the Polo uses a new generation DSG box which is set to be reliable (it is similar to the Jetta and we are yet to hear any issues with the Jetta AT DSG). While the Polo diesel automatic doesn’t come cheap, it will by far be the most affordable diesel automatic in the country (currently the Hyundai Verna 4-speed auto enjoys this position).
