Increase in Sales of Volkswagen Cars in India
Volkswagen Leads Dakar Rally at Race’s Mid-Point
Volkswagen holds the top 2 positions overall and 4 Race Touareg 3s continue to set the pace over each grueling stage. The Dakar Race event, which covers more than 9600 KM though South America, is currently led by the 2010 Dakar winning duo of Carlos Sainz and Lucas Cruz, with Nasser Al-Attiyah and Timo Gottschalk less than 3 min behind. But the contest is not far behind the 2 leading Volkswagen teams. A battle between three rivals continues to dominate the action at the facade of the field with X-raid BMW driver Stéphane Peterhansel lead the 6th leg part from Iquique to Africa before his car suffered several punctures which dropped him down. The 2 fastest Volkswagen duos subsequently battled for a win on the 456-KM stage – the 2nd-longest of the event so far.
After Peterhansel’s time loss on the newest stage, Sainz took the lead but on the final 100 kilometer Al-Attiyah temporarily converted a gap of 1m 27s into a 14-second advantage. In the end, Sainz secured his 5th stage win with the Race Volkswagen Touareg 3 and, after 4th 53m of driving, reached the finish just 9 seconds in facade of his team-mate Al-Attiyah. Giniel de Villiers and his co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz finished the stage in 3rd place and the winners of the 2009 Dakar Rally continue to rank in 4th place overall. Mark Miller and Ralph Pitchford completed the 1,2,3 and 4 stage result of the TDI-powered Race Volkswagen Touareg 3, and moved up to 6th place in the overall standings. Kris Nissen, Volkswagen Motorsport Director commented: ‘The 1, 2, 3 and 4 stage is winning a fantastic result. The whole Volkswagen squad did everything right and I want to express my sincere thanks to all of them. Now the teams have deserved a break, but like every year there will be a lot of work to do on the forthcoming rest day. During this significant service, the vehicles will be prepared for the 2nd half of the Dakar rally with new parts. To be in facade in the end we 1st have to defeat the Dakar and then our rivals.’
VW Polo Wins business Standard Motoring Car Of The Year Award
Volkswagen’s premium hatchback won 2011 Business Standard Motoring ‘Car Of The Year award’ today. The awards were given away at a glittering function attended by automobile industry leaders in Mumbai. Adding a shot of glamour was actor Chitrangada Singh. Business Standard Motoring is the oldest automotive award in the country honouring the best new car of the year since 1996. Honda CB Twister was declared Bike of the Year. The awards, decided by a Jury comprising the Business Standard Motoring team and an external jury of motoring experts and motorsport drivers, past and present. Competition within the new car segment, among all models launched in 2010, Volkswagen Polo was the most intense with as many as 10 contenders for the top spot.
The Polo won the top honour at the award ceremony due to its excellent ride quality and handling, safety, stability and excellent fuel efficiency while the Vento won the BBC Top Gear team’s vote for its firm absorbent ride quality, its pure looks – a German car perfect for Indian roads. Commenting on receipt of both these awards Mr. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board and Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said “We are truly delighted with this recognition by the jury members of these prestigious media houses. The Polo and the Vento are our brand pillars in India and we are truly overwhelmed by the response received towards both these cars. The awards are pure testimony of this. Honda’s 110cc entry-level CB Twister pipped to the post the TVS Motor Jive, a motorcycle with an auto clutch mechanism, and the Yamaha SZ-X. Formula-1 driver and motorsport personality Karun Chandhok handed over the award to Naresh K Rattan, general manager — sales & marketing, HMSI.
Petes Tuned Volkswagen Vento
Petes Performance has tuned the Volkswagen Vento with the addition of the Pete’s Tuning Box, Bilstein B14 height adjustable suspension, Tarox Front and Rear rotor + pads ( Includes rear conversion to Rotors), Stanley custom leather seating and 17” Forged Wheels. The result is a very hot looking Vento (we never thought the Vento could look so good) and a very quick one too. This modified Vento diesel is said to produce close to 130bhp of power and handle much better than the stock car.
Volkswagen to finally unveil New Midsize Sedan
It’s been a while coming, ever since news came about in 2009 that Volkswagen would be introducing its New Midsize Sedan bound for the US market, but it looks like Wolfsburg is finally debuting the as yet unnamed car at the NAIAS in Detroit next week. Aside from the sketches already released of the car, the Volkswagen of America site has what is presumably the NMS, draped and awaiting January 10, when it will be unveiled.
Though slated to fill in the Passat slot in the North American market, VW says that the NMS is separate from the European Passat shown at the 2010 Paris Auto Show, adding that there is no common design between the two. Whatever the case, it’s pretty much gunning for the likes of the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry.To be built in Veedub’s assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the car will go on sale in the US sometime in spring, and will be the first model built at the facility. It is also due to be sold in China.
Volkswagen Indias sales surge over 1000% in year 2010
The Indian unit of German auto giant Volkswagen has registered a massive 10 fold jump in its sales in calendar year 2010. The company sold a total of 32,627 units of its cars during this month as compared to 3,039 units sold in year 2009. The latest mass segment of Volkswagen Polo and Volkswagen Vento – accounted for over 80 percent of company’s total sales to 27,946 vehiles during this month. As per a statement given by Volkswagen Group Sales India Director (Passenger Cars) Neeraj Garg, "We are extremely delighted with the response received for our products. This reflects the growing customer confidence towards the Volkswagen carline."
Both Polo and Vento are highly competitive models and giving a tough fight to their competitors in their respective segments. The hatchback Volkswagen Polo is competing with the likes of Maruti Swift, Ford Figo, Nissan Micra, Chevrolet Beat and Fiat Punto. On the other hand, the Vento sedan is competing with the likes of Maruti Swift Dzire, Toyota Etios, Ford Fiesta and Fiat Linea. Moreover, the corporation has enhanced its sales & service network to 70 dealers from existing 40 dealers last year. The company is eying to grab as much as 10% share of the Indian auto market by year 2015, by launching a series of new car models in the Indian market.
Polo & Vento drive in sales growth for Volkswagen
The Volkswagen brand successfully ended the year 2010 with remarkable sales of 32,627 unit vehicles across India. This effectively shows a growth of over 974 per cent when compared to the same period last year (January-December 2009 – 3039 units were sold). Volkswagen brand continued its exemplary growth even in the month of December which ended with 5,772 unit vehicles sold. Commenting on the record sales, Mr. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India said “We are extremely delighted with the response received for our products. This reflects the growing customer confidence towards the Volkswagen carline.”
He further added ”To ensure we are able to reach out directly to this growing customer base, we have further expanded our reach from 40 to 70 dealerships across the country this year. These dealerships are spread not only in major cities but also in the secondary and tertiary towns where demand of our cars are increasing.”
Locally produced products are ace for Volkswagen
The sales champions for the year 2010 was clearly the Volkswagen Polo and the Vento (total units sold: 27,946) which have proven to be the right products for the Indian customers catapulting the Brand’s growth.
Growing brand awareness
A young brand in the market, Volkswagen’s unique marketing initiatives not only helped increase the brand awareness substantially but also was the most talked about brand in the year.
Volkswagen is the new official partner of IPL Season 4 & 5
Volkswagen, the Europe’s leading automobile manufacturer is the new official partners for the 4th and 5th edition of the Indian Premier League. IPL 4 is supposed to take place coming year most probably in June. By signing this deal with the Indian Premier League, Volkswagen has become the foremost German car manufacturing company to sign a contract with IPL in the wake of the tenders floated by the BCCI welcoming associates for this venture. "We are extremely happy to commence what will certainly be a fruitful association with Volkswagen. It is appropriate that two organizations that epitomize dynamism, enterprise and excellence have joined hands," IPL chairman Chirayu Amin said.
Popular cars by Volkswagen are volkswagen jetta, volkswagen touareg, volkswagen passat, volkswagen beetle and volkswagen polo etc. Volkswagen’s member of the board of director, Neeraj Garg went on to say that he was tremendously satisfied with the alliance and it would be very helpful for the company as well. He said that their brand stands for making ‘people’s car’. Head of Marketing and PR Volkswagen Group India, said, "It is a great honour and huge pleasure to become section of the Indian Premier League. Being the official automotive partner will be an enormous asset as it will foster Volkswagen's bond with India."
Volkswagen Unveils Polo and Golf STYLE Special Editions
Volkswagen has unveiled special options package for the Polo, Golf and Golf Plus that fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has been chosen to to represent in a German ad campaign. The STYLE special editions come with light-alloy wheels, fog lamps, tinted side and rear windows and STYLE badging. A STYLE-Plus package also adds a sunroof or panorama roof, and different set of alloys. The VolksWagen Polo STYLE is priced from €14,075 in Germany. For the Golf STYLE, prices begin at €18,825. The STYLE packages are also available on the Golf Plus and Golf wagon variants with most engines and trim levels.
{Source: Glogalmotors}
Volkswagen Polo Cup here in India
Fate has a strange way of playing with numbers. And ironically enough when it comes to Motorsports, every second doesn’t just count, but has the potential to pretty much turn the tables on an entire Championship Points Table in a single race. It’s been seven months since the start of the first ever Volkswagen Polo Cup here in India, in the course of which the world renowned tour car racing championship has seen some eccentric competition between top contenders from various racing backgrounds.
Spread across three tracks, Balewadi Stadium in Pune, the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore and the Irungattukottai Race Track in Chennai (where the last two rounds of the championship were held) the last and final race of the Championship ended on the 19th of December 2010 with two exciting races in the Championship's last leg.