VW India on track for Polo GTI launch

The quickest production-spec Volkswagen Polo sold globally, the Polo GTI has been seen testing in India. We had reported earlier this year that Volkswagen India is planning to bring hotter Polo models to our shores and in particular the Polo GTI.  

The VW Polo GTI is powered by the same 1.8-litre TSI EA888 engine which also does duty in other VW group cars sold in India like the current Skoda Octavia and Audi A3. This motor developed by Audi, when slotted under the Polo GTI's hood allows this hatch to crack the 100kph sprint comfortably under 7 seconds, which will easily make it the fastest hatchback in India.  Globally the Polo GTI is sold with either a six-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG gearbox but its likely that India will get the automatic version, which is the trend. 

Styling tweaks on the exteriors that differentiate the Polo GTI from the standard Polo’s are unique front and rear bumpers, side skirts and grille, slightly different headlamp units with LED DRLs and larger alloy wheels.  It also gets a double barrel exhaust.  On the interiors, the Polo GTI gets a unique steering wheel shared with the Volkswagen GTI range and sport seats along with aluminum pedals.

There is no official word on the Polo GTI India launch as of now but its likely a Diwali 2015 introduction is possible. The small sales volumes anticipated won't justify local assembly and hence the GTI will be a full import and hence very expensive. An estimated Rs. 17 lakh price tag for a car the size of the Swift won't generate too many takers beyond the tiny pool of hard-core driving enthusiasts but then VW's aim of launching the Polo GTI is not to sell it in big numbers but to position it as a halo model in the German car makers line-up alongside the iconic Beetle. 

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