Polo Saloon Is Vento (now in Showrooms)

[asethi919 0]

I personally would have apprecaited this novelty more had VW done this special edition for the World Cup and not the IPL. But like most people VW also sees the entertainment factor and big bucks associated with IPL. I dont blame them. They are just trying to cash in on the craze.

[swiftvxi06 0]

Hi, auto experts can someone tell me what is the slight difference in headlamp design of VW Vento and VW Polo. I am uploading some pics.Please explain the difference.

Pic courtesy :Carwale

[swiftvxi06 0]

@Mods: please explain what is the slight difference of headlamps between Polo and Vento.

[ashikawa 2]

Volkswagen's Vento overtakes Honda's City in mid-size segment

 

MUMBAI: After more than a month of deliberation on which mid-size car to buy, Partho Ghosh drove a spanking Volkswagen Vento out of a Kolkata showroom last week.

The head of security systems at a Kolkata-headquartered IT company was torn between longstanding favourite, the Honda City, and the newly-arrived Vento, but eventually plumped for the latter. "It's a poor man Mercedes ," Ghosh says. "It is attractively priced - at 6.99 lakh ex-showroom in the east - and its robust German technology caught my attention."

Meet the new king of the road in the mid-size segment. Aggressive pricing, in-your-face promotions that showcase the virtues of German technology, and a strong presence in diesel at a time when that fuel is 40% cheaper than petrol have helped the VW Vento overtake Honda City in the mid-size segment.

In just eight months since launch, sales of the Vento have nudged ahead of those of the leader of 13 years for two months in a row now. VW managed to sell 6,839 Ventos in March and April; Honda could sell 4,315 Citys in that period.

The Vento is the most visible success of Europe's largest carmaker in India, a market it which it began production only two years ago. With a major presence in four segments in India - Polo in hatchbacks, the Vento, the Jetta that competes with the likes of the Toyota Corolla , and the Passat at the luxury end - VW today has managed to carve out a 2% share of the 87,500-crore Indian car market, which grew at 30% in the last fiscal year.

That may seem insignificant, but not when you compare it to the share of the American carmakers in India who have been in the country for over a decade now. Market shares of Ford and General Motors hovered around 4% as of fiscal year 2011. Toyota and Honda trail the US car majors. VW is not too far behind the multinational pack in a market where a single manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, accounts for almost one out of every two cars sold.

"We are lucky to have been able to make it happen in an otherwise hugely competitive Indian market," says Neeraj Garg, Director Volkswagen Group Sales. "A 360 degree approach to deliver global quality at local prices has worked for us," he adds.

VVW has unabashedly played the price card, pricing its offerings lower than the competition. The Polo hatchback was launched last March at 4.3 lakh (ex-showroom in Delhi), some 20,000 lower than Hyundai's i20.

The Vento was introduced last July at a cracker price of 6.99 lakh, making it the cheapest mid-size petrol sedan in the country. The price advantage has been juxtaposed with an emphasis on German precision and contemporary technology. And that has worked like a charm.

"The advantage of having the largest portfolio of technology and brands in the world has given VW a head start in its India strategy," said Mahantesh Sabarad, senior vice-president at Mumbai-based Fortune financial Services.

Source: ET 20/05/2011

 

[Durango Dude 2]

If VW brings down the wait list, Vento will be more visible, atleast in Chennai; I have gotten bored literally of the Honda City, it's too familiar a sight. Vento surely turns heads coz it's that much rarer a sight.

[dr_nishu 198]

Updated VW Vento Highline reaches dealerships:

With Steering mounted Audio Controls & Phone recieving controls

Music system which now comes with Bluetooth connectivity & USB-port.

Neatly laid out USB port in Glovebox

Rear Reversing Sensors

(Source:IAB)

[Sstar 77]

I guess prices should also be expected to go northwards. VW does not offer so much at so less. If they are going to add these feature into Highline variant then we should also expect price revision.

By the way, this move will make other cars in the segment more VFM. And recently launched Sunny is one of them