It’s no secret that the dieselgate has dealt a very serious blow to Volkswagen’s future plans. The only way to survive the next decade is to implement a comprehensive cost cutting strategy that will invariably affect a lot of product development projects and regional investments. VW is targeting to save USD 9 billion in the next 10 years.
So obviously, VW India’s future plans will take a hit due to the HQ’s austerity measures. Economic Times reports that the next generation VW Polo and Vento which are based on MQB platform will not be launched in India in 2018-19 as initially planned.
The India-spec next-gen Polo and Vento will be based on upgraded version of the existing PQ25 platform.Instead, as an interim measure, VW is reported to introduce India-specific updates for the Polo and Vento based on an upgraded version of the existing PQ25 platform internally called as VW x26 IN NF or PQ26.
The MQB platform products will require fresh investments to the tune of USD 500 million to localize the products and prepare the manufacturing facility with suitable machinery and fixtures. By adopting an upgraded version of the existing platform, VW India could avoid majority of the new investment.
The PQ26 platform will be an interim arrangement and MQB-based models will eventually make it to the country.The PQ26 is expected to have a new electronic architecture so that modern connectivity features can be offered. It is also reported to receive a new 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine called MQ100.
Also read – VW Jetta to be discontinued from India
The PQ26-based next gen VW Polo and Vento for India will be short- or medium-term solutions before the global MQB-based models arrive in the market eventually. The company is also said to be considering a crossover based on the PQ26 but it’s not confirmed yet.
Via – Economictimes.Indiatimes.com
