Volkswagen to increase its product portfolio in India

In a bid to find a strong foothold in the Indian car market Volkswagen India is planning to launch more products. This was confirmed by VW officials to a publication during the launch of the 2014 Polo. 

Michael Mayer, director, Volkswagen Passenger Car India said, “As a brand with a premium and aspirational element, we need to be present when people want to move up from basic inexpensive cars to higher quality, more spacious and more performance-oriented cars. I’m carefully watching the segments developing in India. I’d like to use the full breadth of the VW brand that is currently focused only on two products (Polo and Vento)”

Mayer refused to comment on the possibility of the launch of VW’s budget brand for India. But, did convey that the German carmaker is ‘seriously investigating’ opportunities in the compact sedan and compact SUV segments.

Mayer also indicated that VW may bring in more premium cars. “As India is growing, the number of people who can spend above Rs 20 lakh on a car is also growing. We see room to get new customers to the VW brands who are currently constrained to a few luxury brands,” he said. 

Volkswagen, despite being in the market for about half a decade, is still a small player. Currently, the company has a market share of 2 per cent and to be a prominent player they need volume sellers. The introduction of the compact sedan and the crossover might just give them the numbers, but if VW has any aspirations to be in the top three they need a budget small car.

Source: ACI