Volkswagen may launch automatic variant of the Polo soon

The automatic cars are quickly gaining popularity in India, specifically in the urban markets for their ability to deliver a stress free drive. While majority of the C-segment sedans offer a variant with automatic transmission, there are very few hatchbacks which offer the comforts of an automatic at the moment.

The automatic cars make daily commute easy specifically in the bumper to bumper traffics in urban areas – which is also where majority of these cars are sold. But then it is also practical to use a hatchback as they negotiate traffic better than sedans and SUVs, and small boot space is not an issue. 

Volkswagen may want to target this segment of daily office goers by launching the new automatic version of the Polo. Our sources close to VW have confirmed that the German car maker is currently testing the AT gearbox with the 1.6-litre highline petrol variant of the Polo, and may launch this version by end of August. The same engine is mated to an automatic transmission on the Vento and even the Skoda Rapid, which can easily be offered with the Polo as well. The 105bhp and 153Nm torque engine should deliver fuel economy around 10kpl – and we are not expecting any changes to the power ratings as the engines are fully built imports.

Currently, the only premium hatchback available with automatic gearbox is the i20, which is priced at around Rs 7.8 lakh. The difference between Vento Highline petrol and the Vento AT is about Rs 1 lakh, we expect similar pricing for the Polo with price of around Rs 7.5 lakh with few additional features.