MotorBeam reader Aalok Raj’s friend spotted the Volkswagen Up! in Mumbai. The car was headed somewhere on a trailer. This is the first time the Up! has been spotted in India and signifies VW’s seriousness for the Indian market. The Volkswagen Up! variant which was spotted was the 3-door model, which looks like the base variant in the Up! line-up. The spied Up! features full wheel covers (similar to the ones found on the old Maruti Swift), black coloured outside rear view mirrors and door handles. The tyres seem to be India specific and not only are they thinner then the international model but are quite high profile as well. However rear wiper and in-built spoiler is present on the car. Volkswagen has its office in Mumbai and most probably the car has been brought down to be showcased at the 2012 Auto Expo in New Delhi, early next year.
Volkswagen will launch the Up! small car in India by the end of 2012. It will be heavily localised to help the German automaker price it aggressively. Volkswagen is already searching component suppliers to manufacture various parts for the Up! To be powered by a 1-liter, 3-pot petrol motor which produces 60 PS of power. A more powerful 75 PS version is available as well but Volkswagen will stick to the 60 HP model in India, which will be highly fuel efficient. There will no be no start/system or blue motion technology on the Indian version adn we expect prices to start around Rs. 3.5 lakhs (ex-showroom, Delhi). Based on the MQB platform (front wheel drive, front engine layout), the Up! measure just 3.54 meters in lenght, yet has ample interior and boot space (251 liters!). Expect the Volkswagen Up! to create havoc for Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai when it goes on sale. A diesel version will debut in 2013, which will use the same 1.2-liter, 3-pot TDI engine from the Polo, producing 75 HP of power and 180 Nm of torque.
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