The company discontinued Polo in India around the same time as VW Group’s India 2.0 strategy kicked in. Now that Golf GTI will soon be imported in India, the mainstream market may potentially get a Polo relaunch in a different body style. Even though it is not officially confirmed, we might potentially get a Polo in a crossover SUV style. Potentially even a sub 4m SUV.
Volkswagen Polo Brand Revival
Polo has been one of the most iconic and timeless hatchbacks launched in India. Even though it never received any major design updates in India, it continued to be a sought after product by enthusiasts. Today, Polo is a hatchback version of Virtus sold in India, albeit positioned on slightly different platforms.
In markets like South Africa, Volkswagen sells Virtus as Polo Sedan. There’s also Polo Robust in Brazilwhich is a slightly off-road version of Polo hatchback. While we wish one of these launches in India as a premium sub 4m hatchback, Volkswagen India brand director, Ashish Gupta, thinks otherwise.
While a relaunch of Polo hatchback is not officially confirmed, Ashish Gupta seems to be hinting at a potential revival of Polo brand in India. Probably even a different body style altogether. That’s because Polo has an incredibly robust brand recall in India, especially among enthusiasts. The company seems to be contemplating on a feasible way to revive this iconic nameplate.
Gupta mentioned that the company is looking into all possibilities. One of these possibilities could be a sub 4m SUV, which may share platform modification we saw with Skoda Kylaq. This probably is the best bet for Volkswagen India to establish a new entry level model that brings sizeable volumes and profitability.
Golf GTI & Tiguan R Line launch soon
The company will soon launch Golf GTI and Tiguan R Line via select dealerships in India for optimum ownership experience. In the mainstream segment in India, Polo continues to be the most important vehicle, especially considering after sales service. Out of the 7 lakh VW cars sold in India till date, Polo accounts for around 4 lakh units, which is roughly 60% of company’s total volumes ever sold in India.
VW Polo is among the most popular and celebrated cars in the Indian market. Despite being discontinued in India since 2022, Polo continues to be a popular offering especially in the pre-owned segment. Resale value has gone up by up to 30% and a VW Polo owner can potentially sell their vehicle at the same price they bought a couple of years ago.
Even with Volkswagen’s own pre-owned business, Polo plays an important role. From just 3,000 units in 2019, Volkswagen’s pre-owned car business has grown its volumes 10 times in just 5 years with 33,000 units sold in 2024. The company is yet to officially confirm any developments in this regard.
