Volkswagen India, a completely owned subsidiary of the world renowned German multinational automotive manufacturer, is believed to be developing a new compact hatchback model, 'Up!' for the domestic passenger car market. The company is mulling the possibility of a 2014 launch of its Up! model in the country, which may come as a surprise for many admirers of the brand. Evidently, the German auto major had begun testing of its Up! model last year on Indian streets and a 2013 launch date looked nothing but imminent. However, it now appears that the Indian arm of Volkswagen has postponed their plans of bringing the Up! compact hatchback from late 2013 to sometime around mid-2014.
Interestingly, top industry experts believe that the upcoming Volkswagen Up! is going to be the German auto major's cheapest model in the domestic car market, upon its arrival. Volkswagen India will be pitching its Up! model below its Polo premium hatchback with price tags starting from Rs. 4.5 lakhs that could go on till Rs. 6 lakhs. Upon its launch on the Indian turf, Volkswagen Up! will be pitched in a stiff battle against the likes of Hyundai i10, Maruti Suzuki WagonR and A-Star, Tata Indica Vista, Toyota Etios Liva and Chevrolet Beat, amongst others.
Speaking of under-the-hood specifications of the upcoming Volkswagen Up! the compact hatch is going to be launched in both petrol and diesel powered options in the Indian auto market. The Volkswagen Up! petrol is expected to come assimilated with a 1.2 litre, 4-cylinder motor, which will produce a peak power output around 75 bhp, along with a decent torque delivery of 183 Nm. On the other hand, the diesel model could incorporate a 0.8 litre, diesel rated with a maximum output power and torque equations at 52 bhp and 100 Nm, respectively. The engine assembly of both petrol and diesel Volkswagen Up! trims are anticipated to come mated to a six speed manual transmission system.
