VW to Start Selling the Beetle in India
Very soon from now, that is within next three months you will be able to ride the historical VW Beetle in India, a car that has meant to deliver the performances of an SUV and yet come in a rather small size, more appropriately to the likes of Tata Nano. But the bigger bet is the amount Beetle will cost to your wealth, somewhere around Rs 20 Lac.
VW Beetle
The car will be imported from its Mexico plant as a fully efficient unit after the testing sessions of the company are done with. It has been pretty important to different people living in different parts of the globe – It was once the quasiofficial vehicle of Germany’s hated Third Reich in the 1940s, the Beetle went on to become the darling of California beatniks in the Swinging 60s.
Owing to the 110% import duties, the car will have to compete with the nearby priced rivals like Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Mercs.
The Indian unit of Volkswagen said pricing the Beetle competitively was a big challenge for the company and blamed taxes and logistics for the high price. “But we are working very aggressively on Beetle’s debut in India,” said Neeraj Garg, Volkswagen India’s director for passenger cars.
The already selling models of Volkswagen in the country are Jetta and Passat both coming under the sedan category, but the premium(or rather too costly) hatchback segment of India has been less explored till date, that only by Fiat 500 actually, which has a price tag of Rs 15 Lac(Ex-Delhi).
Also known as Bug, the Beetle will sport a 1.9-litre TDI diesel engine and a 5-speed manual transmission. Its other features will include rain sensors and cruise control, along with acoustic rear parking sensors to fit into small parking spaces. Its safety features will include ABS, traction control, anti-skid system and standard front and side airbags.
Mr. Garg said Volkswagen was not looking at high volumes but hoped to leverage its brand value before launching its mass-market Polo hatchback, expected to debut sometime later this year. Fiat’s model 500, (also called the Cinquecento) launched last year, has managed to sell just 58 units to date.
“We are expecting a much better response for the Beetle, which carries a very high iconic value,” Mr. Garg said.
Volkswagen’s decision to launch the Beetle comes at a time when rival BMW has put on hold its plan to launch the equally iconic small car Mini in India. BMW, which does not see it as a viable proposition yet, has pushed back the India rollout of Mini beyond 2010 and will continue to focus on bigger sedans and sports utility vehicles for now
