Hot hatch lovers in India got their first taste of modern European performance when Volkswagen unveiled the Polo GTi at the 2016 Auto Expo. The news got better when things went beyond just a show of power after the German automaker said that it would launch the car here later this year. Now ahead of its Desi arrival, the hot hatch has been spotted on test in its two-door and five-door guise in Mumbai and Pune respectively.
In terms of styling, the cars in the photos are unchanged from what was shown at the Auto Expo. Elements include heavily flared wheel arches, GTi badging, sporty bumpers, larger wheels and projector head lamps. Inside, the car gets tartan stitching, sporty steering wheel and all the features found on the Highline variant of the standard Polo.
This hot hatchback gets its hotness from a turbocharged 1.8-litre petrol engine that produces 190bhp and 250Nm of torque, making it the most powerful hatchback in India when it is launched. It will be offered only with the seven-speed DSG which sends power to the front wheels.
The German automaker will bring the car into India via the CBU route and so it is expected to be priced around Rs 20 lakh making it a unique D-segment offering. The three-door version will be launched first followed by the five-door version later on.
