Volkswagen India has announced a price hike of 2.7% on its premium hatchback Polo and sedan Vento which will be effective from February 1, 2014. In effect, the prices will rise by Rs 22,700 for Polo and by Rs 26,800 for Vento. The rising cost of inputs and depreciating rupee value is said to be the reason behind this price hike. Arvind Saxena, Managing Director (Volkswagen Passenger Cars), Volkswagen Group Sales India, said, "Input costs have steadily increased over the last few months, and exchange rate movements have not been favourable. We have tried our best to absorb some of these, but in order to be able to continue to offer best-in-class quality and technology to our customers, we have now announced a 2.7 per cent hike in our car prices."
Interestingly, the company also stated that all Polo variants will now get dual front airbags as standard fittings along with the anti-lock brakes (ABS) on the 'Comfortline' trim of the Volkswagen Polo. This, in turn, makes Volkswagen the first automobile manufacturer in India to offer dual front airbags as standard equipment in the premium hatchback segment. Mr Saxena explained, "We are proud to be leading the cause of driver safety, and we believe the introduction of airbags as standard fitment across all variants of the Polo is a major step forward in the context of safety. Once again, this step underlines our commitment to producing better cars - and better-equipped cars - for the discerning Indian consumer."
