Volkswagen Polo GTI Imported To India Ahead Of November Launch

Earlier this week we told you that Volkswagen will launch the long-awaited Polo GTI performance hatchback in India next month. The car is slated to go on sale somewhere around mid-November and ahead of the launch the company has imported a couple of model of the car to India. As the car will be sold in India as completely built-up (CBU) models, these are probably the initial units imported for the launch event.

While the car made its official debut in India at the 2016 Auto Expo, but Volkswagen has been testing the Polo GTI in India for a while before that. In fact, a few months back even we spotted a test mule on the outskirts of Pune.

When launched, the new Volkswagen Polo GTI will be one of the most affordable performance cars you can buy in the country and will go up against the likes of the Fiat Abarth Punto Evo. That said the Polo GTI will come with a heavy price tag of Rs. 18 lakh to Rs. 20 Lakh, which about Rs. 5-7 lakh more expensive than the latter. The car will also be the first 3-door hatch to be launched by Volkswagen in India with a 5-door version expected to follow sometime next year depending on the response from the Indian car buying customers.

Currently, one of the most popular hot hatches in the world, the Polo GTI's compact size and the powerful turbocharged 1.8-litre TSI petrol engine has earned the car a reputation for being one of the most powerful, dynamic and thrilling cars in its class. It is powered by a 1.8-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that is capable of churning out peak power of 190bhp and 250Nm of peak torque. All the power will be sent to the front wheels by the company's popular 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox that helps the car to do a 0-100km/h sprint in just 6.7-seconds, before reaching to top-speed of 235km/h.

In terms of looks, the Polo GTI shares some of its design cues with its sibling the Polo GT with the addition of some sharp styling that includes - a bolder honeycomb grille and sportier bumpers with larger intakes. Although unconfirmed, the Polo GTI could also get LED headlamps. Other design elements that we like are the 17-inch alloy wheels, red brake calipers, red GTI insignia, and the GTI-specific rear spoiler.