One of the most popular and successful European-made cars sold in the United States hit India's shores on Wednesday, as the Volkswagen Group launched the Volkswagen Jetta in Mumbai. To date, the Jetta has sold over 8 million units globally, and accounts for over 40 per cent of Volkswagen's sales in North America.
The unveiling of the Jetta comes on the heels of last year's offering -- the Passat -- which Volkswagen Group India president and managing director Joerg Mueller said has "exceeded expectations" in the 9 months it has been on the Indian market.
The Jetta sedan -- made from parts imported from Mexico and assembled locally at Volkswagen's Aurangabad (Maharashtra) plant -- will be available in India in three variants: the standard Jetta 1.6L Petrol engine (5-speed manual), the mid-range 1.9L TDI with a turbo-diesel engine (5-speed manual) and the top-range 1.9L TDI with a turbo-diesel engine (6-speed DSG automatic transmission).
The price ex-showroom Delhi of the standard model is Rs 12.97 lakh, the mid-range model is Rs 14.22 lakh and the top-range is Rs 16.67 lakh. This is a substantial step down from the Passat (about Rs 23 lakh) and represents Volkswagen's efforts to woo a different customer. The marketing campaign's slogan -- 'The Jet Set has arrived' -- shows emphasis is clearly on the young, urban professional.
The Jetta features a large boot, top-of-the-line safety features and a sleek, chrome-decorated appearance. Available colours will be campanella white, red spice, reflex silver, platinum grey and deep black.
Standard features include air conditioning, electro-mechanical power steering, power windows, electrically adjustable outside mirrors, ABS antilock braking system, metallic paint as well as 16-inch alloy wheels, six airbags and a Radio-CD sound system. The mid-range and top-range enjoy additional features.
The ceremony itself was quite the extravaganza, with laser shows, jugglers and an appearance from 19-year-old Ashwin Sundar, the promising two-wheeler racing talent from Chennai, who said, "I find the Jetta stylish and sophisticated."
Asked if the shrinking Sensex and growing inflation had dampened the company's enthusiasm for growth potential in India, Mueller said, "Absolutely not. We're extremely excited about the potential Indian market, both in the short-term and the long-term."
Mueller added that the Volkswagen Group -- which owns Volkswagen, Skoda and Audi -- continues to further entrench itself into the rapidly growing Indian automobile market. "For instance," he said, "in 2007, we had just three Volkswagen dealerships in India. By the end of 2008, we hope to have 15. Our long-term plan is to have about 120 dealerships in India by 2011, which we will require to keep up with our expected increase in sales."
But perhaps the biggest announcement came from Mueller who revealed that Volkswagen will soon launch a super compact Volkswagen, an entirely new model, specifically designed for the unique challenges presented by India's roads. The date given by Mueller for this new model's release was 2010.
He further announced that Volkswagen's manufacturing plant, based at Chakan, Pune, is expected to open a year early, in the first quarter of 2009. This plant will source parts from India, and will produce the first entirely indigenous Volkswagens in India.
The Jetta is available beginning July 17, at dealerships in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Hyderabad and Gurgaon.
source:rediff
