Volkswagen India has a lot planned for the Indian market. Along with new cars, the company will also reveal its updated logo at Auto Expo 2020.
The German automaker premiered its new brand direction to the world back at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. With the new avatar, Volkswagen aims to become more digital, human and modern. Furthermore, the updated visual language will be very different from the one projected by Volkswagen to date. In essence, the new brand design marks the beginning of a new era for the popular automotive manufacturer.
Besides the introduction of its new logo and brand design, the company also plans an ‘SUV offensive’ at the 15th edition of the country’s biggest biennial automotive event. In fact, Volkswagen has confirmed the introduction of four new SUV products at Auto Expo 2020: T-Roc, T-Cross, Tiguan Allspace and I.D.Cross all-electric concept.
In a new teaser video, Volkswagen India (now Skoda Auto Volkswagen India) has shared a glimpse of the India-specific VW MQB A0 IN SUV that will see its unveiling at Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Group Night on 3 February 2020. Obviously, it will sport a new name upon introduction.
Being a teaser, minimal details of the SUV were revealed. It does come with twin-pod LED headlamps and a front fascia design in line with other modern-day Volkswagen products. The silhouette looks somewhat similar to the upcoming Volkswagen T-Cross. The upcoming MQB A0 IN also comes under the automotive group’s India 2.0 Project. Under the project, Skoda Auto will receive a similar counterpart like how the Skoda Rapid sedan is to the Volkswagen Vento.
The teased SUV is the second product to come out of the brand’s revised MQB A0 IN platform. The first product will be the production avatar of the Skoda Vision IN concept which is expected to be launched by the second quarter of 2021. Expect the SUV to come equipped with a locally-manufactured version of the upcoming 1.0-litre TSi turbo petrol engine, mated to either a manual transmission or a 7-speed DSG (DCT) unit. Certain sources also suggest the products coming under MQB A0 IN will be front-wheel-drive and chances of introducing even a front-wheel-biased all-wheel-drive product are low, at least in the initial stages.
This new SUV from Skoda and Volkswagen will be launched in the segment, which is currently ruled by the likes of Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos. Volkswagen India has not been going that well on the Indian market due to multiple factors amidst the overall sales slump in 2019. With the new logo, brand design and SUV portfolio debuting at Auto Expo 2020, Volkswagen India is expected to make a strong comeback.
