Volkswagen will launch the Polo GT in India on the 25th of April, 2013. The German automaker discontinued the Polo 1.6 last year and we were the first to report the same. The Polo 1.6 offered good levels of performance but did not make financial sense as Volkswagen had to pay higher excise duties since the 1.6-litre petrol motor did not get them excise duty benefits enjoyed by small cars. Now Volkswagen is all set to launch the replacement of the Polo 1.6, in the form of the Polo GT, which will be priced at least Rs. 1 lakh more than the top-end Polo 1.2.
The Volkswagen Polo GT will be powered by a 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine which generates 104 BHP of peak power at 5000 RPM and 175 Nm of peak torque at 1500 RPM, mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission. Thus the Polo GT will be the first turbocharged hatchback in our country and also the only one to feature such an advanced automatic gearbox. This 4-cylinder high performance TSI motor is also quite frugal and is expected to return a mileage of 14 km/l in city driving conditions.
Volkswagen will also give the Polo GT some visual flair in the form of a body kit. The car will borrow smoked headlights from the Vento while the interiors will also be given the sporty treatment. We have spotted the Polo GT several times already, including tracing their hideout. The performance oriented Polo is quite fast and is a hot hatch in the real sense. It will compete with the recently launched Toyota Etios TRD Sportivo (1.5) and upcoming Fiat Punto Abarth. The era of performance hatchbacks in India is just commencing.
