Following the decision of Japanese auto giant Suzuki Motors to scrap its ties with German auto giant Volkswagen, the combination's plans of sharing the Maruti Suzuki’s platform of small cars have undergone major revisions.
Volkswagen is now planning to launch its popular small car UP! in the Indian market next year. With the tie-up with Suzuki broken, Volkswagen has scrapped the earlier plans of sourcing Maruti A-Star and selling it under its own badge.
Now, the Volkswagen UP! will be positioned in the lower compact hatchback segment in the price range of Rs 3 to 4 lakh. The car will be competing with the likes of Maruti A-Star, Maruti Wagon R, Maruti Zen Estillo, Hyundai i10, Chevrolet Beat and Chevrolet Spark.
While speaking to ET on the sidelines of a seminar in the National Capital, John Chacko, President of Volkswagen India said, "We are working on several options to bring in more smaller cars to India."
The Volkswagen UP! model was unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show on Tuesday. However, the Indian version of the car will be a bit different as compared to the European version. The car will be showcased in Indian at the upcoming Delhi International Auto Expo in the month of January 2012.
In the calendar year 2010, Volkswagen Indian managed to sell 53,300 units of its portfolio cars in the Indian market. The company aims to register about 100 percent growth in sales over the units sold in the last calendar year.
