Hardly a month has passed since the launch of the new Passat (don't forget to read our new Passat review) and Volkswagen India has managed to push 190 cars out on the market. This might not be very impressive for a car, but for the Passat it is a solid number outlining its recovery. This is the car' report card for the last six months the old Passat (petrol and diesel) had been on sale -
January 2011 - 2
December 2010 - 0
November 2010 - 0
October 2010 - 59
September 2010 - 107
August 2010 - 66
Volkswagen tied up with the Indian Premier League and a Passat BlueMotion is placed on display immediately outside the boundary line at all game venues carrying autographs of star players from the league. The cricket commentators speak about the product when it is shown to viewers.
One can argue that the initial euphoria surrounding a product is present during the first few months and the numbers generated during this period don't convey anything, but what 190 has done is tell Volkswagen that people are ready to put down 20 lakh rupees and overlook cousin Skoda Superb or the Japanese models Accord, Camry and Teana. Volkswagen sold 7,000 cars in April with Polo and Vento doing most of the scoring.
