VW India is planning model year refreshes for its bread-and-butter models, the Polo and Vento, this year. The refreshed Polo has been spied testing near the company's manufacturing base in Chakan, Maharashtra, and is scheduled to go on sale from the middle of this year.
Media reports indicate that VW will discontinue its 1.6-liter four-cylinder TDI engine found on the Vento and Polo GT TDI models. Instead, this engine will be reworked on to displace under 1,500 cc in a bid to improve fuel efficiency and drivability, while meeting the requirements of a 'small car'. The 1.5-liter TDI will be offered in two states of tunes on the refreshed Polo, while on the refreshed Vento, this engine will produce 104 bhp, claims Autocar India.
While the diesel Vento is only offered with a 5-speed manual transmission currently, the updated Vento diesel will be extended VW's DSG automatic technology. The Vento diesel automatic will sport a 6-speed DSG transmission and will cost roughly a lakh more than its manual counterpart. It will compete with the Hyundai Verna diesel automatic, which uses a conventional 4-speed gearbox.
The Verna diesel automatic currently enjoys the status of being the most affordable automatic diesel vehicle in the country at INR 10.47 lakhs (ex-Showroom, New Delhi). However, Tata's upcoming Zest compact sedan will claim that title by offering an AMT (automated manual transmission) on its diesel range.
[Source - Autocar India]
