While Renault and Maruti Suzuki are enjoying the benefits of having an affordable utility vehicle in the form of Renault Duster and Maruti Ertiga respectively, other manufacturers are also working sincerely on their upcoming compact SUVs. Yesterday we also brought to you the renderings of Honda’s compact SUV to be called as Honda HR-V.
Now we have been hearing a lot about Volkswagen working on a compact SUV, but till date we did not hear anything from the company’s officials. But now we have the official word from Volkswagen India which hints that Volkswagen could consider bringing in an all new SUV or MPV in the Indian market to expand its existing portfolio.
President and MD Gerry Dorizashas said,
“Different growth segments of multi-purpose vehicles or sports utility vehicles and small cars are the part of vision we have (for India). We have to take small strides.”
Globally, Volkswagen has many popular SUVs, Crossovers and SUVs in different markets which are quite popular for their space and handling. It is not officially revealed whether Volkswagen will bring any existing product to India or will develop a new car specially for emerging markets like India.
Volkswagen is keen on expanding its business in India but before that it needs to have all sorts of vehicles positioned at the right place. Dorizashas also said the current focus is on strengthening the current product lineup, dealers, sales and after sales services but along with that it is also interested in bringing potent products to India.
In the recent past it was speculated that Volkswagen will bring Tiguan to India, which shares its underpinnings with the successful Audi Q3 but this did not happen. Recently on the global level the company showcased Space Up Concept and Bulli Concept which are one of a kind utility vehicles and could lead to a vehicle potent enough to give cars like Duster and EcoSport a run for their money.
Initially when Volkswagen entered India with Polo and Vento, the demand wasn’t there but they created the interest in people and soon sales were showing great improvements. In 2011 the company doubled its sales but as of 2012, the condition has once again become unpleasant and sales have shown a serious decline. Therefore the brand needs to revive its line-up and attract more and more customers.
Volkswagen has also cut the prices of Polo and Vento models for the top end variants and has added more features at the lowered prices. This goes for both petrol and diesel variants. We will keep an eye on the introduction of new products in Volkswagen India portfolio, stay tuned to Car Blog India.
