Volkswagen Caddy taxi for India

This is interesting news. Volkswagen has said that they are considering launching the VW Caddy in India as a car for the taxi operators.

Photo: Volkswagen Caddy

Well, it is not really a car. The VW Caddy is a van alright – but much better than any of our comparable models. We have all had our time in some Maruti Omni taxi on Indian roads. Originally build as a small load-carrier for Japan, it is hardly a comfortable ride for passengers. The Volkswagen Caddy might be a boon indeed.

VW Caddy as taxi in India soon

Stefan Schaller, spokesman for Volkswagen’s commercial vehicles business, told Adil Jal Darukhanwala (remember him from Car & Bike International magazine?), now editor-in-chief, Times Group’s Zig Wheels, adding that he thought India deserves a good taxi. The Caddy, when it comes to India, would be from a joint venture partner. The VW Caddy will offer an alternative to the larger cars such as Indigo and Indica used by the Indian taxi operators.

Now remember – the Volkswagen Caddy is technically a commercial vehicle. In the models available in the UK, it is a normal van, with no windows or doors behind the front row seats. This obviously will not work in India as a taxi. However, if the plan works out, we would be likely getting something a bit modified. There would be at least a couple of windows on either side behind the driver for sure.

Volkswagen had already announced that it would like to enter the Rs 43,000 crore Indian commercial vehicle market.

Volksgen’s Crafter and Transporter series vans are the other commercial vehicle models the company has in mind for India.

As far as the VW caddy goes, it is not going to be as cheap as an Indigo for sure. More expensive but kore reliable and comfortable, the Caddy we believe will be priced at something like Rs 8-9 lakhs – the price of a Hnda City. However, at this point, thats just a guess.