Volkswagen India Sales March 2011

The Volkswagen brand continues its impressive growth with 8,095 vehicles sold in the month of March 2011.

The Polo and Vento continue to set standards in their respective segments with combined sales of 7854 units in March alone.

Commenting on the growth in sales, Neeraj Garg, Member of Board, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said “March was a busy month for us at Volkswagen Passenger cars with the launch of the IPL edition Vento, the all-new Passat with Bluemotion Technologies and the Think Blue. campaign.

Our sales have been growing consistently and look forward to continue strengthening our position further especially with the exciting products that we would be starting to sell next month onwards.”

Source: Volkswagen India

All-New 2011 Volkswagen Passat Price @ Rs. 20.80 Lakhs Launched in India

- All-New Volkswagen Passat will be available in the diesel variant in both automatic and manual transmissions

- All-New Volkswagen Passat Price starting at 20.80 lakh ex showroom Delhi.

Volkswagen, Europe’s leading car manufacturer unveiled the all-new Passat with the highly innovative BlueMotion Technologies for India today.

The all-new Passat will be available to customers in the diesel variant in both automatic and manual transmissions, starting at 20.80 lakh ex showroom Delhi. Sales of the all new Passat will start with the Highline and Comfortline which will later be followed by the Trendline.

Speaking about this new launch, Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We started our journey in India with the introduction of the Passat in 2007, and three successful years later it gives us great pleasure to bring the latest generation to the market.

The all-new Passat will be exclusively available with BlueMotion Technologies in India and the distinctive innovations will work together to achieve good fuel efficiency and reduced emissions without depriving customers from the fun of driving.

It is a design into the future with upgraded comfort, convenience, quality and safety, and more importantly cleaner and extremely fuel efficient.”

Mr. Lutz Kothe, Head of Marketing and PR Volkswagen Group Sales Pvt. Ltd. added by saying, “The Volkswagen Brand’s commitment to sustainability is translated through the innovations of the BlueMotion Technologies. These efficient technologies have been implemented in a range of Volkswagen cars and are among the cleanest and most fuel efficient in the world. The introduction of the all-new Passat further emphasizes Volkswagen Brand’s commitment to India.”

Source: Volkswagen

Volkswagen India Rolls out 50000th Car from Chakan Plant

Volkswagen India commemorated the roll-out of the 50,000th car from its manufacturing plant in Chakan, Pune. Dr. Arno Antlitz Member of the Board of Management Volkswagen Brand and General Representative of Management Volkswagen Group and Dr. John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India and President & Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited were present on the occasion along with Mr. Holger Nestler, Executive Director, Technical, Volkswagen India Private Limited.

With less than even two years having passed from the start of production at the Volkswagen plant in Chakan, the roll-out of the 50000th car off the production line marks another milestone in Volkswagen’s India journey and reiterates the fact that production at the plant is in line with scheduled ramp-up plans. The Chakan plant currently produces three models, the Volkswagen Polo, the Volkswagen Vento and the Skoda Fabia. The 50,000th car rolled out of the plant was a Volkswagen Vento.

“Touching the 50,000th car production landmark marks the beginning of Volkswagen’s next growth chapter in India. Realizing this target in just over a year’s time from the start of production is a testimony to the popularity Volkswagen cars enjoy in the Indian market. I wish the Volkswagen team great success for their future initiatives and I am confident that the team here will continue this momentum of growth,” expressed Dr. Arno Antlitz on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. John Chacko said, “It is a moment of great pride and satisfaction for all of us at Volkswagen on achieving this milestone in such a short span of time. Volkswagen has focused on introducing new products based on understanding of customer needs. The outstanding acceptance of all our products is a testimony to the success of that approach. The continuous support from our employees has made this possible today. I would like to thank the team at Chakan for their undying spirit and motivation and congratulate them for demonstrating how much can be achieved in a very short period of time.”

The Pune plant is one of the most modern in the Volkswagen Group which globally has 61 plants. It covers all stages in the production process from press shop through body shop and paint shop to final assembly. With a total financial commitment amounting to Rs. 3,800 crores (580 million Euros), the Volkswagen plant in Pune is the largest investment to date by a German company in India. With the investment coupled with the vertical integration of suppliers and the employment of people, Volkswagen India demonstrates its commitment to the new site.

Auto Awards: Volkswagen India Shines with 30 Awards

Volkswagen Group India began 2011 on a successful note by winning a total of 30 awards at 8 recently held Auto Awards ceremonies:

Awards Ceremony	Category	Awards Won
CNBC-Overdrive Auto Awards	Premium Hatchback of the Year	Volkswagen Polo
	Motorsport Award of the Year	Volkswagen Motosport
	SUV of the Year	Skoda Yeti
	Performance Car of the Year	Audi A4 TDI 3.0 TDI
Bloomberg UTV Autocar Awards	4x4 of the Year	Skoda Yeti
BBC Top Gear	Car of the Year	Skoda Yeti
	Saloon Car of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
BS Motoring Awards	Car of the Year	Volkswagen Polo
	Motorsport Excellence Awards	Volkswagen Motorsport
NDTV Car and Bike Awards	Car of the Year	Volkswagen Polo
	Premium Hatchback of the Year	Volkswagen Polo
	Compact Sedan of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
	Compact SUV of the Year	Skoda Yeti
	Design of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
	Innovation in Advertising	Volkswagen
	Integrated Campaign of the Year	Skoda Yeti
Car and Bike IndiaAwards	Automobile of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
	Small Car of the Year	Volkswagen Polo
	Mid Size Car of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
	Crossover MUV of the Year	Skoda Yeti
	Variant of the Year	Audi Q7 4.2 TDI
ET Zigwheels Car and Bike of the Year Awards	Premium CompactSedan of the Year	Volkswagen Vento
	Most Fun to Drive Vehicle Trophy	Volkswagen Polo 1.6
	SUV of the Year	Skoda Yeti
	Motorsport Award of the Year	Volkswagen Motorsport
	Best Automotive Advertising Campaign	Volkswagen Vento
	Best Design of the Year	Skoda Yeti
Auto India Best Brand Awards	Best Advertising	Volkswagen
	Best Quality	Audi
	Most Sporty	Audi

Expressing his delight on winning the awards, Dr. John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India and President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited said, “I feel proud to receive such prestigious awards for the Group. The appreciation we have received from customers and experts for our cars so far has been overwhelming.

It shows us that our focus on producing top quality cars meets our customer needs. The awards won by wide spectrum of cars that Volkswagen Group offers ranging from the compact Volkswagen Polo to the luxury Audi Q7 is a testimony that our products are truly appreciated by our Indian customers. Winning awards for Volkswagen Motorsport just reinforces the success story Volkswagen Polo Cup witnessed in its flagship event in India last year.”

Speaking about the awards received for the Polo and Vento, Neeraj Garg, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars Division, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Polo is one of the most beloved cars from the Volkswagen stable and we are very happy with the recognition and awards received by it so far. Winning awards for Vento is very special as the Vento is engineered in India catering to the needs of our Indian customers. It makes us proud that it has already established its place in this important automotive sector.”

According to Thomas Kuehl, Director and Board Member, Sales and Marketing, Skoda Auto India said, “It gives me immense pleasure to receive awards for the Yeti. We have seen great recognition in such a small period of time after its launch. I am confident Yeti will create a new SUV segment in the Indian auto industry.”

On receiving the awards, Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India said, “It has been an excellent year at Audi so far. These awards add to our confidence in introducing our world class cars to our customers in India. Winning awards for Quality and Sportiness only reiterates the fact that Audi ranks high among its Indian Customers. This is also reflected in our leadership in the luxury SUV segment with Audi Q5 & Audi Q7 and in the super sports car segment with Audi R8.”

Source: Volkswagen India

Volkswagen Polo Price Hiked by Volkswagen India

Volkswagen announced an increase in the price of the Polo. Starting January 1, 2011 this popular hatchback will witness a hike starting at 2.9 percent.

Commenting on this, Neeraj Garg, member of Board & Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said "We have been faced with constant rise in input cost over the past several months and have tried our best to absorb it.

However, in order to continue to maintain our quality standards that our customers expect from us we have had to increase the price by a small percentage."

He further added "Customers, who book the Polo until December 31, 2010, will be able to avail their favourite car at the present prices."

The Polo was launched in India in March 2010 and has already sold more than 17,000 units as of November 2010.

Manufactured in Volkswagen's plant in Chakan, the Polo is the first locally made Volkswagen model to be launched by the European automobile major in India.

Source: Volkswagen