The Indian arm of German automaker, Volkswagen India has discontinued its iconic Beetle and Jetta sedan in India. The two cars have been officially taken off from Volkswagen India’s website. Reports suggest that while the stocks of Volkswagen Beetle are over and with production halted, the company do not intend to sell more of this current generation model in India that was launched in 2015. Low demand of Volkswagen Jetta for over a year also led to discontinuation of the sedan from the Indian market. Volkswagen Beetle and Jetta had expensive price tags of Rs 28.75 lakh and 13.80 lakh respectively.
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Volkswagen Jetta failed to impress over the likes of Skoda Octavia, Toyota Corolla Altis and Hyundai Elantra. Most of these cars recently got an update and Volkswagen Jetta looked old and resulted in slow sales. VW Jetta sedan was built on PQ35 platform which is no longer being used globally. The new generation Volkswagen Jetta was unveiled at the 2018 Detroit Motor Show earlier this year and is built on the famous MQB platform. However, it is still not confirmed if the new Jetta will come to India or not. With the likes of new Volkswagen Tiguan and Volkswagen Passat (also based on MQB platform) being assembled here in India, the German automaker might consider bringing the new Jetta to India soon.
Volkswagen Beetle is also based on the PQ35 platform and got the original Beetle. This was more like a premium lifestyle car than a model based to sustain profits. Volkswagen Beetle is an iconic brand for the company and while the new model did not result in strong sales it was not meant for that. The idea was to keep the Beetle brand alive as it is known for the legacy it carries. At several occasions, Volkswagen has hinted in introducing an electric version of Beetle globally and while it might be introduced in 2019, India launch of electric VW beetle is highly unlikely.
Currently, Volkswagen India line-up includes the new Volkswagen Passat, Tiguan, Vento, Ameo, Polo and Polo GTI.