India deserves a good taxi. We are at a very advanced stage in our talks with a Joint Venture partner for this business."
- Mr. Stefan Schaller , Board spokesperson for VW’s commercial vehicles business said.
We at IAB predicted the arrival of VW Caddy in an earlier post here. Now, an official confirmation from VW itself was what we were waiting for. The VW Caddy will offer an alternative to the cars such as Innova, Omni and Indica used by the Indian taxi operators. Caddy is technically a commercial vehicle in the UK with no windows or doors behind the front row seats. This obviously will not work in India as a taxi but, certainly has prospects for a parcel van. There would be at least a couple of windows on either side behind the driver for sure - as in the picture.
The main feature that got us interested is its sliding rear doors. Not since the Omni, have we seen sliding doors in any car. This is one reason why the Omni is popular as taxi still. Caddy having the same doors means - easier entry and exit for passengers. It also offers tonnes of boot space, and very thoughtful storage compartments. Overall, a fantastic formula for a taxi!
Volkswagen's UK division has just released specs for the new Caddy Sportline and Caddy Maxi Sportline models(shown below in the gallery) - 140HP 2.0L diesel engine, 0 to 62 mph (100km/h) in 10.1 sec, and a top speed of 116 mph(187 km/h). We are not sure if the sports models will make it to India, but from what we could gather, the older Kombi Maxi 1.9L diesel and 1.6L petrol versions have a better chance of coming here.
Click through for specification sheet and other details
Specifications of VW Caddy Kombi Maxi 1.9L Diesel:
Engine and Gearbox |
|
|---|---|
| Engine Layout |
Transverse inline 4 |
| Cylinders |
4 |
| Aspiration |
Turbocharged |
| Valves |
SOHC 2 valves per cylinder |
| Bore / Stroke |
79.5x95.5 |
| Capacity |
1896 |
| Compression Ratio |
19.0:1 |
| Ignition Type |
compression |
| Gearbox Details |
5-speed manual |
| Hybrid / Clutchless |
no |
| Number of Gears |
5 |
| Manual / Automatic |
Manual |
Mileage & Performance |
|
|---|---|
| Fuel Capacity |
60L |
| Fuel Consumption - Highway |
9.4kmpl |
| Fuel Consumption - City |
7.7kmpl |
| Average Consumption |
8.55kmpl |
| Fuel Type |
Diesel |
| Fuel Supply |
Electronic direct injection,turbocharger |
| Power Output |
77kwh@4000rpm |
| Max Torque |
250Nm@1900 |
| Acceleration (0-100kph) |
13.5secs |
| Top Speed |
166kph |
Dimensions and Weight |
|
|---|---|
| Boot Capacity |
500L |
| Load |
3500Kg |
| Length |
4875mm |
| Ground Clearance |
173mm |
| Gross Laden Mass |
2335Kg |
| Height |
1834mm |
| Licensing Mass |
1715Kg |
| Width |
1794mm |
As far as the VW caddy goes, it is not going to be as cheap as an Omni for sure. More expensive but surely reliable and comfortable, the Caddy we believe will be priced at something like Rs 6-7 lakhs - the price of a premium hatchback. However, at this point, that's just a guess. We are not quite sure whether to classify it as a car or a van, but what we are sure of is a runaway success once it is released. We would'nt at all be surprised if people start using the Caddy as a family car! More details here.
