The German automaker, Volkswagen, is all set to introduce its new small car in the Indian auto market by the middle of next year.
The vehicle has been named as Up! According to reports, the vehicle will be a hatchback and will be competing against the likes of Maruti Suzuki WagonR, Hyundai i10 and Tata Indica. The design strategy for the vehicle will be quite distinct as most of the industry experts believe that the vehicle will be offered in both two-door and four-door configurations.
Under the hood, it is expected to have the assimilated petrol engine of 1.2 litre. The engine will be giving a maximum output of over 70 bhp with a peak torque around 180 Nm. If rumors are to be believed, the vehicle may come with a six-speed manual transmission, which if became the reality, will be a segment defining move for any hatchback in the Indian Auto market.
Volkswagen may also be thinking about launching a diesel engine variant. The model is expected to have a 0.8 litre powermill which will be rolling our 51 bhp with an incredible peak torque of about 100 Nm. According to reports, the diesel version will also come with the six speed manual transmission. In order to make it more competitive against the top selling cars in the segment, VW is also planning to induct front disc brakes in the new vehicle.
With the launch of the new model in the Indian hatchback market, Volkswagen is hoping to boost its sale figures in the Indian market. Till now VW has Polo premium hatchback as the entry level product in the Indian market. But with the launch of the Up! it will move up in the ladder. The new hatchback is expected to be priced around Rs. 4 lakh.