Volkswagen Virtus out of wraps, will replace Vento

Volkswagen Virtus, this is an all new sedan that has just been revealed. The Volkswagen Vento was launched in 2010 in India and has been getting upgrades since. The VW Virtus will be the next-generation sedan that will replace the Vento. Volkswagen has been working on the new MQB A0 platform, which will be spurring multiple new products. These will be the compact range of vehicles and one of them shall be the new Polo as well. Volkswagen’s Virtus will be the sedan that shall be launched on this new modular platform.

The ride and handling is expected to be better with the new platform and will add more flexibility. This platform will help the company in saving costs as well as it will spawn variety of vehicles from it. The MQB A0 is the derived version from the MQB. The MQB is used for manufacturing the Jetta, Tiguan, upcoming Skoda Yeti, Skoda Octavia and even the Skoda Superb.

Some of the Audi products are also based on this platform. The new platform is also lighter, which means that the performance shall be enhanced and even the mileage. 

The current Vento is based on the PQ24 platform, which isn’t that that flexible. The MQB A0 platform will be beneficial as it will underpin many other vehicles of VW group. The only issue is that VW has just started working on developing and localising that platform in India. So, till then the company might even loose out on a good amount of market share. At the moment, the company should be looking at adding more products in its line-up that are more sales driven to let their channel partners also make money and the buyers to have the same faith in the company.

Volkswagen Virtus Launch Date

The VW Virtus will first be launched in South American markets by this year end and we expect them to make it into the Indian car market by late 2018. This will make it as exciting product and will help them revive their current Vento, which is showing its age now.

Design

The new VW Virtus looks appealing. It has a premium look and is several notches up in terms of styling as compared to the Vento. The sedan is based on the same platform as the new Polo and is the Polo with a boot, of course with multiple changes. This time around as the Polo will be longer and have a bigger wheelbase, the Vento or the VW Virtus (whatever name it gets) will be more of a boot add-on. The wheelbase won’t be much different from the current Vento.

There will be a clear differentiator in the design elements between the Polo and new Vento/ Virtus.

The layout will be similar, but Virtus will be styled in a more premium fashion. The Vento now looks so different from the Polo, as it gets a grille similar to the Jetta than the Polo. Then other bits also have been changed on it, while the layout is the same. The same shall be applied on the new Vento as well. As this is based on the MQB A0 platform, which is lighter and is a lot more flexible. 

There are reports that claim that the Volkswagen Virtus will have longer wheelbase than the new Polo. This will mean that the new Volkswagen Virtus could be bigger in size when compared to the current one. There is a difference in the front grille when we compare it to the new Polo. It is clearly visible in the images. There will be more knee room for rear passengers and there shall be rear AC vents, rear charging points and even an arm rest. At the same time, there shall be more than sufficient boot space, and a lot bigger than the current offering.

Also Read: Honda City 2017 | Maruti Ciaz 2017 | All-new Hyundai Verna 2017

Interiors

The VW Virtus has an all new set of interiors. It is clearly visible in the images. There is a large 8-inch touchscreen system. There is Android Auto and even Apple CarPlay. The instrument panel is an all new LCD and it is digital. At the same time, there are new AC vents and even climate control. If you look at the images that have been leaked, the interiors have a large touchscreen, underneath is the AC vents. The instrument cluster is LCD display and it has digital display for the speedometer and driver information system. The steering wheel is the same like the one on the current Polo and Vento.

In terms of space, there shall be more on offer. The wheelbase is likely to be a tad longer than the current one.

So, the new Polo and Virtus could have the same wheelbase. This will mean good amount of rear space especially the knee room.

Engine and Transmission

The powertrains will include 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre turbo petrol engines. This should churn about 100bhp of power and will be a replacement for the naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol. The 1.2-litre TSI might be discontinued for this new engine, as VW has already been testing this new engine. For the diesel engine, it will be the 1.5-litre diesel engines. There shall be a five-speed manual transmission and we hope India gets the 6-speed manual and for automatic, it will be a seven-speed option. The 1.6-litre petrol will be offered in India most likely. The diesel will be the 1.5-litre unit

VW Virtus Price in India

*Expected

The VW Virtus that is likely to come to India next year should be priced somewhere in the range of ₹ 8.5 lakhs to INR ₹ 17 lakhs (on-road). This is the ideal price for the Virtus if it can include a diesel automatic at this price point as this will be more affordable than the current Honda City. The new Virtus shall be priced more than the current Honda City as the German brand is looking at getting into the premium car segment above the Japanese automakers. Hence, it will be an uphill task for the company.