MQB-based Volkswagen Polo, Vento on hold for India

Volkswagen has reportedly shelved its plans to bring the MQB platform-based Polo and Vento to India. The move is said to be coming from the cost-cutting measures that the German carmaker is adopting globally in order to salvage $9 billion on the road to recovery following the ‘dieselgate’ emissions scandal.

The introduction of the new Polo and Vento was scheduled for 2018-19 and would have aligned VW's Indian portfolio with its global offerings. However, the deal breaker, according to ET Auto, was the potential $500 million-plus investment in equipment, inventory and products.

But since the said duo formed the backbone of the Pune-based automaker's three-year roadmap for India, apart from the recently-launched Ameo, the company is therefore working on upgrading the existing PQ25 architecture that should now form the underpinnings of the new Polo and Vento.

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Called as the PQ26 internally, the platform is seen as a short to medium-term measure. It will retain the current architecture but the electrical system is expected to be completely overhauled to make way for connectivity features. The company is also said to be mulling a new compact SUV based on the same platform with all these cars set to be powered by a new turbocharged 1.0-litre engine, named the MQ100.

Speaking of the emission scandal, Volkswagen has been taking austerity measures across the globe in order to make amends. The number of shifts has been cut down in countries like Argentina, Russia, Mexico and Brazil. Conversely though, VW has added a third shift in India in order to accommodate the new Ameo.

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