Volkswagen India looking for a budget brand

Recently, VW created a lot of buzz regarding the German automaker launching a new budget brand. Well, the VW China is on the verge to finalize the launching of an economical brand for Dragon Land. The Indian counterpart of the German behemoth is also planning to drive-in a new low-cost brand for the market. 

China has really evolved and rose above India as a leading automobile market in the world with India taking the second position. The current portfolio of Volkswagen India starts from a premium hatchback, while it does not have any product to tackle the sub-5 lakh brigade. Every manufacturer in India is trying to increase its share in the market; launching a sub-5 lakh brand will certainly help VW to cater more masses.

 Mahesh Kodumudi, MD, VW India, stated to ET, “We have looked at all the ideas which VW had looked up for China. My teams here have been working very closely with the Chinese and German counterparts we have the complete list of all the ideas that they have generated, and we know each and every idea. We are looking at what will be most prudent and suitable for India."

 The budget brand might be few years away but VW India is all set to strengthen its current line-up consisting of – Polo, Vento, Jetta & Passat.  

Upcoming cars from VW India 

• A compact SUV Taigun – production ready concept showcased at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo 

• A sub-4m Polo based compact sedan – entry level sedan with excise duty relaxation & will be sharing engines with the Polo.

• Polo-Vento will receive facelift showcased at the 2014 Geneva Motor show.  

• Nex-gen Passat by the end of this year or early 2015. The new Passat will also debut the VW's new 2.0 liter Bi-TDI twin-turbo diesel motor.

• Jetta facelift showcased at the 2014 New York Auto Show will also enter India early next year.

• New Touareg (CBU) and a likely, mid-size SUV Taigun 

• The new Beetle.

Mahesh Kodumudi further added, “Think about it, for me to get a good market share, I need to have a complete range of products, a complete portfolio of products, right from Touraeg (which will be CBU), then we have a Passat, the mid-size SUV, Jetta, Vento, Polo, compact SUV, a compact sedan and maybe even a sub-Polo car, which will give us a big portfolio to attack the market." 

Source: ET