[petrol_power]

Why are companies not announcing the price of any of the models in auto expo? Is it because they plan to increase/decrease after seeing the response in the expo? Its been a loong time since price speculations are going , and even though I cannot afford one now, I am not able to control the urge to know the pricing !!

[ariendj]

Originally Posted by petrol_power

Why are companies not announcing the price of any of the models in auto expo? Is it because they plan to increase/decrease after seeing the response in the expo? Its been a loong time since price speculations are going , and even though I cannot afford one now, I am not able to control the urge to know the pricing !!

maybe because no launches are taking place right now.

[Asifgrkhan]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

Seat Pattern, to look at, is horrible... feels like the fabric is taken from the extra cloth available at the tailors.

Seriously VW, when you say Red & Black seats we expect a sporty pattern like

Plaid upholstery is like a VW GTI tradition since the original Golf Mk I GTI was introduced in the mid 70s. This is what makes them distinctive. Even through Polo does not have the pedigree of the Golf, they follow the GTI tradition.

Do a GIS for "VW GTI Seats" and you will see what I mean.

[noopster]

This is one awesome hot hatch.

However.

At the end of the day people are going to look at it and say, "It's a Polo". Considering the entry level variant is a 5L car, how many will reach for their chequebooks and order one? Remember the Evo? Who paid 50L for a "Lancer"?

Pay a little more and you can get an Octy, which is a proper sedan with space for the family. 2-doors is a mere novelty here. For enthusiasts, the Punto Abarth at half the price would be a better bet. Lack of MT option will hurt the GTi here.

VW needs to seriously rethink its product strategy in India. How long are they going to flog the same body and plonk all manner of engines and features into it? I seem to be making the same comment on every Polo/Vento refresh thread....and now this!

[Santoshbhat]

What a lovely car! If one is after performance and performance alone there is no better car than the Polo GTI. But the problem is its still 'just a Polo' and apart from the performance there is no novelty factory. Yes you get big wheels, sport steering, sun roof and other goodies, but the fact remains that the Polo is not a fresh product.

As an enthusiast I am thrilled that companies are launching such products in the Indian market. I hope there is a good response from the market and VW decides to 'Make in India'. Shouldn't be that tough really. I like the idea of a 2 door Polo .

[Thad E Ginathom]

5. Polo GTI - 1.8TSI

Top Speed - 236km/hr
0-100 (s) - 6.7

If I wanted that much top speed and accleration, what is the next step on the price ladder? What would I have to have paid for it before the Polo GTi?

Sorry to cast a cloud, but I'm now actually worried that that it is bringing this kind of performance within "affordable" for a much larger group of people, and among people are going to be many who can't actually handle it, but think they can. Or their parents think they can.

Come to think of it, the Golf GTi in UK was always as much a fashion statement as a an enthusiasts' hot hatch. Many a wealthy daddy handed over the keys on 21st birthdays.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

... ... its still 'just a Polo'

Neither was the Golf.

Refer to the discussion about the whole ethos of the GTi on another Polo GTi thread... Looks boring, looks ordinary, family car, so all the more WHAT-the...?-factor when it leaves "sporty" models in its dust. It's the very origins of the whole-hot-hatch thing. But is the concept too subtle for the young Indian guys who can afford it?

[suhaas307]

If you want performance / punch of Mini Cooper S without the added frills, this is THE car to get, unless it's 30+ lakhs OTR. If it happens to be priced north of 30, just get the Mini.

The fabric-seats look fantastic IMO, and is a throwback to the original GTIs of yore.

I'm really surprised that it gets basic halogens while even the Vento will get all-LED headlights, in the coming months.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

Seat Pattern, to look at, is horrible... feels like the fabric is taken from the extra cloth available at the tailors.

Seriously VW, when you say Red & Black seats we expect a sporty pattern like


Attachment 1470693

Otherwise it has salivating specs
After the GT it would be my next car in the coming 3 years

The Red & Black fabric design for the seats is the trade mark of the GTI legacy and please read a little bit of history behind it.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

If VW does price the Polo GTI at about 20lks, there would no other hatch in the country that can even come close to this baby.

I was very pro - GTI up until the only AT, 3 doors, 20L pricing debates began. Heck, even at 18L OTR I was willing to consider picking up the GTI with a stick shift.
The cars you are comparing it with are proper german hatches designed not for speed - but everything else: more equipment, better interiors, etc. To top it all, they come backed by successful brands that have better aspirational value.

Clearly, VW knows this will not be a daily driver - not with 3 doors at least. It will serve as a second/third car, and will be purely used as a 'fun' car - as there are more practical daily driver options in that price bracket.
Even then, they have skimped out on small niceties such as Xenon's with the LED (which would have been a big differentiator. Heck - the LED's were the reason for the A4's & Audi's success in India), leather seats, a manual option which is preferred by quite a few enthusiasts, etc.
With these missing features, and a 20L price bracket ex-showroom: It may be the fastest new car a person can buy in that segment, but it's true competitors would be the pre-owned options such as a project 300BHP Laura 1.8 (Pete's has done a few of these), or a 320D with the M-performance kit giving you a sub-7 second 0-100kmph timing, etc. They may not be hatches - but will still make very good and fun alternatives to the Polo GTi as second/third cars.

[B103]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

I was very pro - GTI up until the only AT, 3 doors, 20L pricing debates began. Heck, even at 18L OTR I was willing to consider picking up the GTI with a stick shift.

This link has the price from UK: http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/vo...tchback/review

Top end variant's price is coming to approximately 20 L in UK also. I think it will come close to 25L on road here in India.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by B103

This link has the price from UK: http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/vo...tchback/review

Top end variant's price is coming to approximately 20 L in UK also. I think it will come close to 25L on road here in India.

Fair enough - but on the same link, the Jetta 1.4TSi with 125bhp retails for around the same as the Polo.
In India, it is substantially cheaper than the 20L figure being quoted for the GTi.
Another point to note: Even that link lists one of the cons of the GTi as 'pricey'. If it's pricey by UK standards where the Jetta 1.4TSi is similarly priced - it is clearly very overpriced by Indian standards, where the Jetta is cheaper.

I get that it is going to be a CBU, but even then - there needs to be a market willing to accept the few limited units they have. Instead, a M/T Octy vRS or even a 1.4TSi at a lower cost may just have made more sense.

[Ferrariwell]

I have a feeling this car is going to turn out to be like the zen carbon. Nobody bought them when they were launched but a couple of years down the line after maruti stopped selling em everyone seemed to be looking for one. Also I think this car will cost closer to 30lakhs than 20 lakhs absolutely love the design of the fabric seats look very reminiscent to the ones that were fitted on the original mk1 golf gti. Shame I might not be able to buy it

[B103]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Fair enough - but on the same link, the Jetta 1.4TSi with 125bhp retails for around the same as the Polo.
In India, it is substantially cheaper than the 20L figure being quoted for the GTi.
Another point to note: Even that link lists one of the cons of the GTi as 'pricey'. If it's pricey by UK standards where the Jetta 1.4TSi is similarly priced - it is clearly very overpriced by Indian standards, where the Jetta is cheaper.

I get that it is going to be a CBU, but even then - there needs to be a market willing to accept the few limited units they have. Instead, a M/T Octy vRS or even a 1.4TSi at a lower cost may just have made more sense.

I will be surprised if they sell GTI at 20L in India. If a car worth 20L in UK is exported as CBU then price will go further North in all probability.

Jetta might be localized to some extent by now and it is not a CBU either.

For Polo GTI, Volkswagen is intending to position it as a niche product for select customers and not really focussing on the high sales numbers. They have conveyed this clearly in the Autocar magazine where there is an article about upcoming the GTI.

[Chetan_Rao]

It would probably make much more sense to have 1.2 TSi the default and 1.4 TSi the GT option for Polo (retire the atrocious 1.2 MPi), then get the Golf GTi as the halo product.

Given they're bent on going the CBU route anyway for the GTi model and the other options (car & engine) are both already available in the India parts bin, there isn't really much groundwork required except (re)configuring the production lines and minor tweaks, if any.

Knowing VW, they'll probably just do the silly thing and lose more money, but one could still hope.

[AppyS]

Hot hatch no doubt, but what about the lovely after sales service of VW India that is nightmarish at the least for us VW customers. Add to it the woes of being an imported CBU, parts will always be unavailable citing less inventory (VW has me waiting for a mudflap since 6 months).
On top of this the crazy price point, that for speeds you will never achieve on Indian roads.
To me this is a beauty to be appreciated during the showroom visits and on tbhp, of course . I doubt anyone will shell out 20 lacs for a hatchback in India. Afterall to the layman, its still a POLO.