As we have updated our readers, VW India's Chakan plant commenced CKD shipments of the Polo earlier this year to DRB-Hicom’s Pekan assembly plant in Malaysia. The India-made Polo was shown to the Malaysian public for the first time at the ongoing 2013 Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS). VW Malaysia will conduct the market launch next year, calling it the 2014 Polo.
Looks wise, the Polo shown at KLIMS is identical to the model sold in India. Compared to the Euro-spec Polo which is currently sold in Malaysia as a CBU (Completely Built up Unit), the 2014 Polo gets silver housings in its headlights, two horizontal chrome slats in the grille, turn indicators on the side fender, a simpler design for its taillights and rear bumper, and finally the bootlid receives the 'VOLKSWAGEN' badge. The interiors are identical to that of the Indian Polo, save for a cruise control function.
VW Malaysia has chosen the 1.6-liter MPI engine (which was earlier offered in India as the Polo 1.6) which produces 105 PS and 153 Nm of torque. A conventional 6-speed torque converter autobox will be offered as standard. 0-100 km/h is claimed at 11.1 seconds, while the fuel efficiency is rated at 15.87 km/l.
Its interesting to note that in Malaysia, VW is replacing the 1.2 TSI-7-speed DSG powertrain with the 1.6 MPI-6-speed unit, while in India, the reverse was carried out: VW India replaced the Polo 1.6 with the Polo TSI, and the Vento 1.6 AT with the Vento TSI.
India-made VW Polo at KLIMS 2013 Image Gallery
[Images from Paultan.org]
