Four years ago, Volkswagen had launched the Polo, one of the best selling cars in the Indian market. The Polo was a very good, with German design and engineering, it had a lot of capability, but the engines that Volkswagen offered at the time were not doing the dynamics of the car any justice at all, and everybody were left wanting for more.
Along the way, Volkswagen did offer the car with newer and better engine options. In 2012, Volkswagen launched a face-lifted version of the Polo, and more recently, Volkswagen blessed the Polo’s engine bay with new high performance engines. The new Polo GT TSI was launched with the notorious 1.2-litre TSI engine and was mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox which was a first for the segment, then came along the Polo GT TDI, which was powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-diesel, making it one of the most powerful diesel powered hatches in India. All these updates and refreshes did give the sales a shot in the arm, but now Volkswagen is doing what the top car manufacturers in the world must do to stay on top: keep updating the products.
The next-upgrade for the Polo has been spotted while on test in China. The pictures give out many minor details like the black grille instead of the chrome one, and the redesigned radiator grille. The indicators on the side, which were earlier mounted on the front fender are now gone, and instead, would be integrated into the ORVM’s. The alloy wheels might get a new black shade to make it look sportier.
There will be no mechanical changes to the petrol Polo, and will still come with the same 1.2-litre engine, mated to the 5-speed manual, and the GT TSI will still come with the 1.2-litre turbo-petrol mated to the 7-speed DSG gearbox. The mechanical changes on the diesel though are big, the 1.2 and 1.6 litre diesel engines on the current Polo will be replaced by a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel. This will enable the Polo to get the excise benefit which it earlier could not.
The prices might remain the same for the petrols, but the prices for the diesel will definitely be slashed because of the excise benefits, which will eventually be passed on to the consumer. After the Cross Polo failed miserably, Volkswagen is heavily relying on this update to get them to the top and maybe it will.
Also see – Is Volkswagen testing Vento LPG/CNG Or 1.5-litre TDI
Source – Auto iFeng
