Volkswagen recently unveiled four upcoming models for the Indian market including the big fish– the ID.4. It will be the German brand’s first all-electric offering for India and will come as a fully-imported model via the CBU route. Volkswagen is eyeing a market launch of ID.4 towards the end of this year.
Besides the ID.4, VW also unveiled three new variants of its existing models which are planned for launch throughout the course of this year. These included the Taigun GT Line, Taigun GT Plus Sport and Virtus GT Plus Sport concept.
Localised EV India launch around 2026-27
During a roundtable interaction with Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen India, we gained some interesting insights about the company’s future plans. On being asked if VW is planning to introduce a localised electric car in India in the near future, Gupta said, “Introduction of the ID.4 is the first step for us towards electrification. And it was important to take this first step, you know, it clearly shows that we are committed in terms of electrification being our future to mobility from Volkswagen in India.”
“But if you have to be a serious player and you have to participate in the mass electrification, you will definitely at one point of time have to go into localization and mass production of electric cars,” he explained. Gupta added that the industry will only be ready by 2026-27 for mass adoption of electric vehicles.
He further surmised by explaining, “By 2026-27, you will have the ecosystem ready, whether it is supply or capability, whether it is charging infrastructure, that is where the critical mass will come from electrics, occupying about five to 7% of the market. That is when the market will be big enough for everybody to be coming to their lives.”
No sub-4 metre vehicles from Volkswagen
Skoda, a part of the Volkswagen Group, recently announced that it will launch a sub-4 metre SUV in India next year. This SUV will be based on an updated version of the MQB A0 IN architecture co-developed and shared by Skoda and Volkswagen. However, VW has once again clearly stated that it won’t bring out any sub-4 metre SUV in India.
In fact, Gupta reaffirmed during the media interaction that it won’t enter the sub-4 metre space in any form in the distant future. This essentially means that Virtus and Taigun will be the entry-level models in the Volkswagen India lineup. Therefore, to the dissappoinment of Indian enthusiasts, no return of Polo anytime soon.
So how does Volkswagen intend to expand its portfolio in India? Clearly, Volkwagen is looking at a bottom-to-top approach but Gupta mentioned that fully-localised larger models aren’t possible in the MQB A0 IN platform, since the architecture has its own limitations. For a larger product, Volkswagen would have to localise the MQB A0 platform underpinning the Tiguan, which may take some time.
No cars send for Bharat NCAP
When asked if and which Volkswagen cars will be sent for Bharat NCAP crash tests, Gupta firmly quipped that the current lot of VW cars are 5-star rated by Global NCAP for both adult and child occupancy. Hence, there is no need to send any cars for Bharat NCAP safety ratings.
In a concluding remark, Gupta also mentioned that the inception of Bharat Mobility Show as an annual motoring exhibition adds to the challenge since it isn’t possible for every manufacturer to bring new products to a market every year. It also adds to the logistical constraints which OEMs face during the course of these events.
