Volkswagen | The name you know, the company you don’t

No company can achieve what Volkswagen can, especially in an emission test (Passing is the only goal! Isn’t it?). Let’s talk about this topic some other day. Today, we’ll be discussing the advent of the German carmaker in the Indian automotive industry. Many of you might not be aware that the Volkswagen group own a lot of companies such as Audi, Lamborghini, Skoda, Porsche to name a few. In India too, the group came with the launch of Skoda in 2001. But we will be only sticking to the Volkswagen itself. So let’s just not waste more words and start with the history of the Marke (German for Brand).

2007 – The Volkswagen brand enters India

With the success of Skoda, VW group was pretty impressed with the Indian customers. So they decided to launch Volkswagen and Audi brands in India. Let’s take a look at the Audi some other day. It is really difficult to stick to a name which owns this many carmakers.

VW Passat was the first car from the carmaker to make its way to the Indian shores. It was offered with two engine options: a 1.8-litre petrol engine churning out 158hp of power and around 250Nm of torque and a 2.0-litre TDI engine capable of producing 165hp of power and a peak torque of 350Nm. The diesel mill was dubbed to be one of the most advanced at that time.

And that’s not all, the premium sedan was offered with a plethora of features too. In terms of safety, VW has never disappointed at all. We’ll be discussing the safety of the cars by the company in depth later in this article.

Let’s take a look at the other models launched by the company in India.

1. VW Jetta

   

   This premium sedan from Volkswagen was launched back in 2008. Globally, a very popular car, the sedan has been on a good run in India too. But with a competition like Chevrolet Cruze being loved by the Indian audience, Jetta was not able to take on a big leap in terms of sales. Even its own sibling, the Skoda Laura was doing better than the Jetta. So it never really took off.

2. Beetle

   

   Or popularly known as the Bug was launched in India back in 2009. Although the bug was a small car, it was powered by a 2.0-litre engine, yes a massive engine for a car of this size. The petrol engine was capable of churning out 115hp of power and 170Nm of torque. But the major drawback of the car was the massive price tag of ₹28lakhs. No one in India was ready to spend this amount of money on a small car. Not at all!

3. Touareg SUV

   

   An ultra-premium SUV and the brand’s first in India, Touareg was launched in 2009 too. It was powered by a massive 3.0-litre V6 TDI engine which produced 238hp of power and a peak torque of 550Nm. It was also equipped with a variety of features and that added to the cost too. This SUV would burn a hole of around ₹60lakhs in the pockets of the buyers. And to add to the sorrow, the rivals such as Land Rover Range Rover Evoque made a better mark in the market.

4. Vento

   

   This is also a luxury sedan from the carmaker launched in 2010. The Vento though had a successful run in the market due to the price and features which attracted a lot of customers.

5. Tiguan

   

   This SUV was launched back in 2017. The major drawback, it was a CBU route that the company chose to bring in the SUV. It cost around 30 lakhs, which was way more as compared to rivals. The 2.0 litre TDI diesel engine which generated 147 hp of power and 340 Nm of torque was not able to attract the customers, nor were the features able to get the job done. Recently, Tiguan Allspace was launched. The same route has been chosen for the Allspace too.

6. Taigun

   

   Another SUV from VW yet brought in via CBU route. Here are some specs of the latest SUV from the company.

   • 1.0 L 3-cylinder turbo petrol / 1.5 L 4-cylinder turbo petrol
   • Power output : 113 hp / 150 hp
   • Peak torque : 200 Nm / 250 nm
   • Both variants get 7 speed DSG automatic or 6-speed manual

   Additionally, the 1.5 L turbo-petrol gets advanced cylinder management. In eco-mode, it shuts down 2 cylinders better efficiency.
   Volkswagen always maintains a high standard when it comes to interiors. The Taigun comes fully loaded with a sunroof which is good news for people with serious vitamin D deficiency. Interior is generously laden with leather upholstery. Keeping up with the trend, the Taigun sports a fully digital instrument cluster and a touchscreen infotainment system. The car comes fully equipped with driver and passenger airbags, ABS with EBD, rearview camera parking sensors to address safety concerns.

Did we forget any car?

No, absolutely not. No car is forgotten, especially when it is the Volkswagen Polo, one of the most famous models from the company. It’s just that it needed a different introduction that the others. It has been winning hearts in India from the past 11 years. A decade of class, safety and comfort have passed and Polo has still loved a lot across the country as well as the globe. The 2020 Polo GT TSI is launching soon. Have a look.

Safety | A synonym for Volkswagen

And that’s true! It is noteworthy that every car from the manufacturer boasts a lot of safety features, few of which are listed below.

Passive Safety Features

These features help in minimizing the risk of injuries in the unfateful event of accidents. Here is the list of passive features.

• Seatbelts
• Supplement Restraint System (SRS) Airbags
• Child seats anchorage
• Chassis, stiff roof and crumple zones
• Battery cut-off

Active Safety Features

Here is the list of such systems that actively try to prevent accidents.

• Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC)
• Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
• Traction Control System (TCS)
• Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD)
• Parking Sensors
• ESP
• Brake assist

Such features come as standard in the cars from VW which means the company does ensure the safety of its customers. Volkswagen has been known to provide more than adequate safety in its cars.

Must read: BNVSAP and Why India Needs Its Own Crash Test Safety Standard

Volkswagen has really been a prominent automaker in the Indian automotive industry, though has seen some setbacks in the past few years. It is still loved by those who prefer luxury as well as safe cars. What are your thoughts on the company? Let us know in the comments section below.