Volkswagen, the German premium automaker, is planning to launch a series of new cars in the Indian car market in the next 2 years. The company will launch a sub-4 metre compact sedan and compact SUV in 2016-17, and the new Vento facelift by the festive season, 2015. Moreover, the company is also considering the next-generation Tiguan SUV for the Indian market. Interestingly, VW is also planning to reintroduce the Passat saloon and the iconic Beetle in India.
At the 2014 Paris Motor Show, VW unveiled the new-generation VW B8 Passat. The new model goes upmarket and is better equipped. The new generation Passat will make its debut in our country by the end of this year or the early next year. The new model is 14mm lower and 12mm wider than the outgoing car, but 2mm shorter. The boot space of the car has been increased by 26-litres to 586-litres. The India-bound model is likely to get a 2.0-litre TDI engine that offers three states of tunes - 240PS, 190PS and 150PS.
The iconic Beetle basically serves as a brand builder for Volkswagen in most countries. However, this small car is a potential rival to the likes of Mini Cooper and Fiat Abarth 500 hatchbacks. It is powered by a 2.0-litre TDI turbo diesel engine that churns out a maximum power output of 138bhp and a peak torque of 320Nm. The Beetle hatch will be brought as CBU (Completely Built Unit) unit, and is expected to go on sale by the early next year.
