Polo-based compact SUV on the cards

Indian version will cost less, local manufacturing to help VW keep costs down.

- Shapur kotwal

Volkswagen is looking to bring its next generation Polo-based compact SUV to India. Part of a larger plan to bring a whole string of cars to India, the compact SUV is likely to be an important step in the move to make VW India more customer-centric. Part of this also involves making India a regional hub for the brand, with a local engineering unit and possibly a design studio dedicated to the requirements of the ‘region’.

Speaking to Autocar India at the Paris motor show, Juergen Stackman, member of the board of management, Volkswagen, said, “We are trying to localise the compact SUV in India.”

Slated to enter the market in 2018, the compact SUV is likely to be based on the MQB A0 platform that will also underpin the next-gen Polo hatchback. The design will be loosely based on the T-Cross Breeze concept shown at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, and VW has confirmed that the SUV will come with plenty of connectivity technology like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.