SAVWIPL has expanded its exports from India to include the made-in-India Volkswagen Virtus. With this move, Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited (SAVWIPL) marks another significant milestone in its INDIA 2.0 journey. The first shipment of the 3,000 Volkswagen Virtus will go to Mexico from the port of Mumbai.
The Volkswagen Virtus sedan joins the Volkswagen Taigun, which was one of the first in a range of products built on the MQB-A0-IN platform to be exported from India.
Mr Piyush Arora, Managing Director of SAVWIPL, said that with this move, the brand is closer to realising its aim of making India an export hub for the Volkswagen Group globally. It is also one of the key pillars of its India strategy. He also said that the increasing exports testify to the success of the INDIA 2.0 programme.
Volkswagen India first launched its export programme in 2011. Back then, the brand exported 6,256 units of the India-built Vento sedan for the South African market. Since then, SAVWIPL’s export market has grown incrementally. Currently, the group’s ‘Made in India’ products are available in 44 countries across Central America, South America, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, the GCC countries, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean region.
By June 2022, SAVWIPL had exported over 5,50,000 cars. SAVWIPL’s largest export market is Mexico, followed by South Africa, Central America, and ASEAN countries. The export program also enables SAVWIPL to manage production volumes, with a balanced production share between domestic and export markets.
VW India launched the Virtus sedan in June 2022 in India. The all-new sedan is the second product from VW to use the MQB-A0-IN platform. Launching a sedan when the market was moving towards SUVs was a bold move. However, both the Virtus and its sibling, the Skoda Slavia, aim to revive the sedan segment in India.
The Volkswagen Virtus is available in 2 trim lines – Dynamic and Performance. The former is available only with a 1.0-litre TSI engine, while the latter with a 1.5-litre TSI EVO engine. Prices for the Volkswagen Virtus start at INR 11.21 lakh ex-showroom for the Dynamic Line Comfortline MT. Meanwhile, the range-topping Performance Line GT Plus DSG retails for INR 17,91,900 ex-showroom.
The 1.0-litre TSI engine puts out 115 PS and 178 Nm, while the bigger 1.5-litre TSI EVO produces 150 PS and 250 Nm. The TSI EVO engine also gets Active Cylinder Technology (ACT). When on lighter loads, ACT deactivates two cylinders. The 1.0-litre TSI engine is available with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic. As for the 1.5-litre TSI EVO, it only comes with a 7-speed DSG.
Also Read: Volkswagen launches Taigun First Anniversary Edition in India