Volkswagen hasn’t have a mass catchy product in India till now but now it seems to get changed as brand’s first ever compact sedan ‘Ameo’ has been officially revealed. It has been specifically designed for Indian market and will go one on one with Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Tata Zest, Ford Figo Aspire and Hyundai Xcent. The car has been developed at the company’s manufacturing facility at Chakan, Maharashtra and it will be launched in the early 2nd Half of 2016.
Some of the highlighting features on Ameo include dynamic touchscreen infotainment system with Mirror link, I-phone, USB, bluetooth connectivity and it doubles up with reverse parking camera display. There are rear armrests with rear AC vent, cooled glove box, automatic AC, auto dimming IRVM, rear parking camera with sensors, telescopic and tilt steering wheel, soft touch boot lid opener, 15 inch alloy wheels, static cornering lights etc.
Safety has been due importance as Ameo is equipped with dual front airbags and ABS as standard alongside other conventional safety aids. The top variant is expected to get six airbags along with other advance traits.
The new kid is based on Polo hatchback and carries similar wheelbase of 2469mm. It also shares design cues from the hatchback till the side C pillars while the boot has been shrunken to give it the sedan look. The VW has used the dual beige treatment for the cabin and equip it with leather wrapped steering wheel.
Apart from design, features the car uses Polo’s engines- a 1.5l TDI diesel engine that is good for 88.7bhp power and 230Nm of high torque and a 1.2l MPI petrol mill that delivers 74bhp power and 110Nm of peak torque. Transmission options include a DSG automatic gearbox and five speed manual gearbox. The diesel mill might get paired with a seven speed DSG automatic gearbox to rival against Maruti Suzuki Dzire and Tata Zest.
The Ameo should be offered in Comfortline, Trendline and Highline trims with a starting price range of Rs. 5.5 till 8 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the top variant.
