The much awaited Volkswagen Ameo has finally been unveiled in India with a proposed launch sometime by third quarter this year. The vehicle shall be manufactured at the company’s facility in Chakan and is said to be engineered for the Indian market. Given the presence of key players like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Honda in this segment, it is to be seen how well the vehicle would perform in the Indian market.
Engine - Under the hood the Ameo gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine mated to five-speed manual transmission and a 1.5-litre diesel unit mated to seven-speed DSG gearbox and even a manual is on offer. Hyundai’s first compact sedan XCent comes with a 1.2-litre Kappa VTVT petrol engine while the diesel comes with a smaller 1.1-litre U2 engine. Though the petrol trims are almost at par with each other, the diesel trim in Ameo scores better. The Honda Amaze fairs equally well in this aspect with an equivalent 1.5-litre diesel engine and a 1.2-litre petrol engine options mated to manual and five-speed automatic transmission option.
Interiors - The Swift Dzire stays with Maruti Suzuki’s time tested principle to keep things simple in order to keep the budget factor in check. The Japanese Honda on the other hand though slightly better than the Maruti has gets a slightly glossy feel that gives it a slightly premium feel. The Hyundai Xcent comes with a practical design with nothing too much but just enough for the local audience. The Ameo being the latest offering from the German automaker, it carries the upmarket feel and offers a whole lot of interesting features that has been unheard of this compact sedan segment.
Exteriors - The Ameo though offers more features as compared to its competitors, the compact sedan lacks the new-age styling and carries conventional design from its Polo and Vento siblings. Apart from sporty alloy wheels, the Ameo offers electrically-foldable outside rear view mirrors with LED turn indicators to make it stand apart from the rest. Maruti Suzuki on the other hand has also not done much and has preferred to stick to design borrowed from Swift with an addition of an external boot. The Amaze on the design aspect is pretty new and comes loaded with sufficient amount of curves to appeal to the Indian masses. The Xcent from Hyundai offers practicality and shares some resemblance with Grand i10. The Xcent may not stand out in crowd but definitely offers a decent amount of style in its segment.
Conclusion - The Volkswagen Ameo being positioned between the Polo and Vento in the country, the vehicle could carry a price tag ranging between Rs 8-10 lakh. The pricing aspect could likely help its competitors gain an edge in the Indian market. But then, given impressive features, safety and decent performance numbers, the Ameo could likely generate more interest. The Amaze from Honda is also due to get a fresh facelift this year and only time may tell who fairs better in the Indian market.
