The VW jetta is here

If you believe the tech specs you will certainly feel VW is selling a c-segment car for the price of a d-segment one.We have C -segment sedans with more powerful engines forget about competition like the Honda civic.Yes petrol prices are high but if you end up with the VW petrol something surely is wrong considering the cheaper rivals like the Honda Civic and the upcoming Toyota corolla.Guess this is the german joke VW are referring to in their ads.

The saving grace ofcourse is the 1.9L tdi [diesel engine] but again prices are still on the higher side with cars like the Honda accord within striking distance.The diesel engine after its success in the skoda laura should be the one most buyers would opt for.The VW family[includes skoda] believe that Indians ought to pay a significant premium for buying cars from their line-up and their strategy has not been a complete failure so far.

What are the goodies you get for the top of the range variant.For starters you get 8 airbags then there is the six speed auto-box[DSG] however that is only for the diesel variant.

Prices range between Rs.13 lakhs to Rs16.70 lakhs[ex-showroom delhi]

Tech specs:
1>1.6L petrol engine: Power 102ps@5600 rpm and torque 148Nm@3800rpm

2>1.9L TDi[diesel] engine: Power 105ps@4000 rpm and torque 250Nm@1900rpm

Is it worth the money.In my opinion no,I would stick with the cheaper japanese cars.I just hope Toyota don't get the wrong ideas from VW after the Jetta launch.Then ofcourse there is the skoda laura,why would you put your money on the VW.

[image source:wikipedia]

Coming soon the Skoda Octavia rival -VW Jetta

We shall soon see the Octavia's sibling the VW jetta on Indian roads.The launch date is likely between may and june,2008.Unlike earlier media predictions[where it was supposedly going to be priced alongside the Honda city] the Jetta is going to be launched in the Rs.13-15 lakhs category.
This will take it in Skoda Octavia category as well as pit it against the Skoda Laura too.Yes the jetta would be a much more modern offering compared to the octavia but if you ask me to pick between the Laura and the Jetta ,I would prefer the Skoda Laura.Not for nothing has the Laura[new generation octavia] been winning reliability awards year after year even beating japanese rivals while VW seem to be having lots of problems on this front.

Expect the Jetta to be similarly speced as the Laura.The jetta introduction could possibly be a killer blow for the Octavia.

Just Have to see how VW plan to sell their cars,i.e. will it be through existing skoda dealerships.

PS:Also part of the article from business standard were other cars from VW in the future.It said the polo and the production version of the UP concept would be here.The Polo would be priced at around Rs. 4.30 lakhs while the UP at around Rs. 1.80 lakhs.These cars would take some time to come to India however[upto 2012 even].

[Source:Business Standard]
[image source:nextcar,milteksport,paddocktalk,autocult]