Volkswagen planning India rollout of Polo by next year

The company will bring out the new car in to the A2 (compact car) segment and compete with cars like Honda’s Jazz.

Currently operating with Jetta and Pasat — both high-end cars — it aims at deriving volumes through Polo. However, the price and other details were not disclosed. “This is part of our strategy. We make an entry with the high-end vehicles and then move to small, compact cars to make volumes,” Garg said.

Pushing latest models

With an investment of Rs 3,300 crore (Euro 580 million) in the country, the company believes that pushing its latest models in to growth markets like India, and concentrating on environmental friendly technology is the way forward.

Ruling out investment in the State, Garg said the new vehicle will be assembled at its Chakkan plant in Pune. “We have a production capacity of 1,10,000 and will not invest further untill we reach optimum capacity,” he added.

The company plans to expand dealership network from existing 19 dealerships to 40 by the end of 2009 and has set a target of 60 for year 2010 and as part of this Volkswagen announced the launch of its second dealership in the City — Volkswagen Palace Cross.

“We are focused on India, as it is a growth market. Thereby, we will do everything that is required of us to tap the potential here, including expanding dealerships and workforce based on the demand,” Garg said.