The VW Ameo has been permanently discontinued in India. This was the German brand’s only made-for-India car.
The VW Ameo belonged to the length-restricted sedan segment, commonly known as the sub-4 metre sedan segment. Like the VW Vento, it was a sedan derived from the VW Polo, but with the length restricted to 4 metres in order to be cheaper.
Volkswagen developed the Ameo with an investment of INR 720 crore. The company unveiled it in February 2016 at that year’s Auto Expo. Production began in May the same year, and the launch took place the month next. Priced from just 5.24 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) at launch, it was cheaper than the hatchback it was derived from.
The VW Ameo was selling poorly in the market. Nearly a year ago, Volkswagen announced that it had sold over 50,000 units of the Ameo since launch (in almost three years). Rival brands sell their sub-4 metre sedans in tens of thousands of units every year. Honda shipped 67,715 units of the Amaze in 2019 and 67,584 units of the same in 2018. Maruti Suzuki, on the other hand, sells the DZire in lakhs every year (1,98,904 units in 2019 and 2,64,612 units in 2018).
Volkswagen offered the Ameo with features like dual-beam headlamps, 15-inch alloy wheels, flat-bottomed steering wheel, single-folding rear seat backrest, ambient lights, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear power windows with one-touch operation and remote opening/closing windows.
The VW Ameo was available with a 1.2-litre MPI petrol engine (75 PS/110 Nm) linked to a 5-speed MT and a 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine (110 PS/250 Nm) paired with a 5-speed MT or a 7-speed DCT initially. The petrol engine was replaced with a 1.0-litre MPI unit (76 PS/95 Nm) in 2018.
For the next two years or so, Volkswagen will focus only on models longer than 4,000 mm in length. The company will launch the Taigun premium B-SUV in 2021 and the next-gen Vento/Vento successor in 2022. It will launch a few imports as well, like the new Passat and the ID.4 electric SUV, and maybe even the new Tiguan.
Also Read: Volkswagen planning sub-4 metre SUV & next-gen Polo for India
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