Being one of the biggest automakers in Europe, VW is always on the lookout of ways to increase its sales and production. This year, its strategy is to bring in new models in India to help boost up its already high sales.
VW announced that it will be launching two new models in India and after its Indian plant has been completed nest year, it plans to produce 110,000 vehicles annually as well.
The president of VW India, Joerg Mueller, said, “We will get our ‘Jetta’ (sedan) to the Indian market this summer while the luxury sedan ‘Phaeton’ will also be introduced this year.”
The Indian auto market is already fast-growing and so giant automakers such as Volkswagen are already fast-exploring their potential sales in the said auto market and bringing in their models to be sold.
Aside from this, VW is also saying that its goal is to launch a small car that is based on the mini-hatchback Polo in 2010. Price of this small car has not yet been disclosed by the German automaker.
VW announced its small car plan perhaps to give information that it also plans to offer an affordable car as Tata Group is scheduled t reveal the world’s cheapest car, “People’s Car,” in the upcoming auto show in the country. It is considered as the cheapest as it costs only about 100,000 rupees or 2,500 dollars.
Tata Group’s new vehicle offer has actually triggered a race among automakers to be able to produce the best and most affordable, that is to say, least expensive vehicle.
By 2009, VW is expecting that the manufacturing plant it is putting up now in Chakan near Pune will be completed and fully operational. This wil have a production capacity of 110,000 vehicles and it will be the assembly plant for the “Polo” variant and Skoda “Fabia,” both of which are scheduled to be launched in 2010.
VW is actually already selling its premium “Passat” sedan and luxury sports utility vehicle “Touareg” in India as it was predicted that sales in the Indian auto market will double to two million units by 21010.
On the other hand, the Jetta will be assembled in Aurangabad in the western state of Maharashtra, at the Volkswagen Skoda plant. This plant produces around 25,000 Skodas yearly for the auto market in India. Meanwhile, VW will have its Phaeton imported.
VW is also seriously considering bringing its SUV, the VW Tiguan, in the Indian market as it considers India as “a key market for strategic growth.”
