In India, Volkswagen Polo competed against other premium hatchbacks like Maruti Baleno, Tata Altroz and Honda Jazz
Volkswagen Polo is not just a small hatchback in the Indian market but more of an emotion to lakhs of people who have owned one, many of them being repeat buyers. Surely it isn’t very practical for Indian audiences with a cramped space for rear-seat occupants and not a bang for every buck offering.
However, it definitely is the most fun-to-drive car in its segment with impressive engine performance complemented by exceptional handling and dynamics. So when the German carmaker announced that it will be pulling the plug on the sporty hatch in the near future, many fans would have been left disheartened.
Volkswagen Polo Goodbye Letter
In a very symbolic gesture, Volkswagen has shared a letter on its social media handles which has been addressed to consumers and drafted by Polo. In this letter, Polo figuratively speaks about its journey in India.
The letter mentions that the car first blinked its headlamps back in 2009 at Volkswagen’s Chakan-based manufacturing plant in Pune. It made its official debut at the 2010 Auto Expo and has been on sale for twelve years since then.
In the course of this letter, Polo has thanked many people including engineers, dealerships, service team and general public who have contributed to the growth of the premium hatch in India. The letter further mentions that Polo is passing on its “legacy to SUVW and sedan siblings” in the form of Taigun and Virtus respectively.
Earlier this year, Volkswagen announced that Polo will be discontinued from the market after twelve years of service in India. Unfortunately, the company won’t bring a replacement to Polo. International markets have already received a mid-cycle facelifted version of the second-gen Polo which will not arrive in India.
Polo Legend Edition
Volkswagen recently launched a special farewell edition of Polo called Legend Edition at a price of Rs 10.25 lakh (ex-showroom). This model comes with minute cosmetic enhancements like a ‘Legend’ branding on its exterior. Only 700 units of this special edition model will be available which will mark the end of Polo’s run in India.
Legend Edition of Polo is powered by a 1.0-litre TSi turbo petrol engine that kicks out 109 bhp and 175 Nm of peak torque. This unit is exclusively mated to a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox in this model. Standard turbocharged variants are also offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
Other variants of Polo were also offered a 1.0-litre MPI naturally aspirated petrol motor that kicks out 75 bhp and 95 Nm of peak torque. Polo was also one of the first Indian cars to come with dual airbags as a standard offering. It also scored an impressive 4-star safety rating at Global NCAP back in 2014.
