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Volkswagen recently made two crucial announcements. The German auto major will be coming out with two new models – the all-new Jetta, and smaller, Polo-based, Vento sedan.
Though the new Jetta looks strikingly similar to the new Golf from the front (and the Audi A4 from the rear), VW claims that none of the body panels are shared with the Golf – as has been the case historically. The new Jetta is about 3.5 inches longer than the current model, so expect there to be more leg room owing to a longer wheelbase. The interior is going to carry all the usual bells and whistles, and we expect VW to throw in a sat-nav too.
On the engines front, the Jetta will be offered in the international market with a wide range of motors. There’ll be a 2.0-litre TDI featuring common-rail injection, and a 2.0-litre, 200bhp petrol TSI motor. In India, however, we’ll likely get the 1.4 TSI petrol, and a 1.6-litre TDI diesel. We’re also hoping that the woefully underpowered 1.6-litre petrol will make way for the 2.0-litre TSI motor. There is also the possibility of it coming with a 1.2 TSI motor. The new Jetta should be priced at more or less the current level, if not even marginally lower, when it’s launched in India in 2011.
The Volkswgen Vento, meanwhile, is a smart looking sedan that’ll take the battle straight to the very popular Honda City. We expect Volkswagen to slot in the 1.6-litre petrol engine that does duty in the Jetta. As for diesels, we can expect to get the 1.2-litre diesel that powers the Polo, albeit with a bit more horsepower, and a 1.6-litre turbo diesel capable of putting out 105bhp and 150lb/ft of torque to the front wheels.
Volkswagen is tight-lipped about the Vento’s pricing, but we expect it to be priced in the 7-9 lakh bracket to take on the Honda City and the Maruti Suzuki SX4 when it’s launched later this year.
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Verna Transform |
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Korean carmakers like Hyundai are very family oriented. And, like relatives, the nomenclatures vary – an uncle here is a nephew elsewhere. This can also be seen in the way their car brands morph - an Accent in one country becomes a Verna somewhere else.
The Hyundai Verna, as sold in India, is a totally different car from the new Hyundai Verna, a.k.a. Accent, as launched in Beijing a few months ago. That Verna / Accent, is more like
a competitor to the Honda City. But now there’s a new Hyundai Verna for the Indian market, very closely related to the previous Verna, which is add-badged ‘Transform’ – to compete
with the slew of sedans in the same 6-10 lakh price range hitting Indian streets soon from VW, Maruti Suzuki and GM.
Largely a cosmetic makeover on one of the fastest sedans in the sub-10 lakh price range, the new Hyundai Verna Transform for the Indian market (this is one model that isn’t listed out for exports to Hyundai’s major target countries from Chennai) tries to add even more bells and whistles while keeping the price competitive – both in petrol and diesel, 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic. Both engines are carried over from before – the 1.6 litre petrol produces just over 100 horsepower, and will run you between 6.5-7.5 lakhs, while the gutsier 1.5 CRDi turbo diesel produces an extra 10 horsepower and ranges from 7.9-9.9 lakhs.
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There’s the grille makeover, the now widely popular LED indicator lights on the wing mirror, a blue interior lighting concept, and a slightly re-jigged rear light cluster. It’s certainly well worth taking a look, although they should do something about improving rear seat comfort – if you want to sit in the back of what is essentially a really wonderful car to drive. As for the rest of the report, we really, really would like to wait for the real Hyundai Verna, as launched in China, to reach India soon. Now if there’s a car that could truly transform this segment in India, it’s that one. |
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Comments |
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Email:
Date:
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serviceking_akash@yahoo.com
22 July 2010
I love the Verna Transform very much, and have heard many interesting things from autoxchange article.
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