Volkswagen Jetta launch in India soon

24 September, 2007

After the launch of the Volkswagen Passat, Volkswagen is gearing up to launch the Volkswagen Jetta, its trump card for the Indian C-size market.

The Volkswagen Jetta will be pitted against the mid-size market leader Honda City, close combatant Maruti SX4 and others like Hyundai Verna, Chevrolet Aveo and Ford Fiesta. The second offering from Volkswagen India, the Jetta will be made at the Aurangabad plant of Skoda, which is a Volkswagen subsidiary.

Volkswagen has ignored the Indian market for long enough, preferring to launch the Skoda Octavias and Superbs when the Koreans and Japanese have carved up the mid-size car market among themselves. Now, Volkswagen is poised to launch the Jetta into a market that is red-hot with competition.

The Jetta will come to India in petrol and diesel versions, the diesel Jetta fitted with the same 1.9 litre engine which comes standard in Skoda Octavia. There will be a 1.6 litre petrol edition too. The Jetta will come with five-speed manual and six-speed automatic transmissions, the latter possibly with six gears. The petrol model of Volkswagen Jetta is expected to come with two engine options: 100 BHP and 115 BHP.

The Volkswagen Jetta is actually the small car Volkswagen Golf, with a boot. (By the way, Golf too will be launched in India, though only later) However, the exteriors have been refined for a large car. The car will be the longest and widest in its category - yes, wider than even the Logan. The Jetta is based on the same A5 platform on which the Golf and the Skoda Laura are based.

Volkswagen will be able to price the Jetta competitively, since the car will be built in India at the Skoda plant from CKDs. Production will continue here till the Pune plant of Volkswagen goes on stream. At a later stage, Volkswagen hopes to roll out the Passat, Jetta and Golf from the Pune plant. It's not confirmed yet, but the Jetta will initially come as completely-knocked-down (CKD) kits from the Volkswagen plant in Mexico, where the bulk of Jettas are made for the global markets.

Volkswagen is building its Pune plant at a cost of Rs 2,450-crore, which will have the capacity to churn out 110,000 cars every year. It has been reported that even the Volkswagen Beetle may roll out of this plant in 2010.

On the exteriors, the Jetta's front does not look as sporty as the new Honda City or the Maruti SX4. The Jetta is more in the league of the understated elegance of the Passat and the Skoda. This is partly due to its pedigree -- the Jetta has been on the roads since 1980. Though the car has been refined over the nearly-three-decades, it has not had a complete facelift ever.

The Jetta goes by different names in different countries. It is also called Volkswagen Bora, Volkswagen GLI, Volkswagen Sagitar and Volkswagen Vento.

The Volkswagen Jetta is built with high-strength steel. Expect the same solidity and reliability of the ubiquitous Skoda. The foreign models of Jetta have a specially-designed door with an outer panel, which can be changed without changing the entire panel if damaged. There are six airbags in the running models of Volkswagen Jetta abroad, both for front and rear passengers, but it remains to be seen if the Indian models will have them. Two, we guess. Anti-lock braking system will be standard.

The Jetta has specially-designed headlamps with a VW logo integrated into the reflector.

The Mark 5 version of the Jetta in use abroad has often confused the regular car user. To reduce wear and tear, the windscreen wiper slightly changes its position on every parking, which may concern the user. Also, on cold start, the Jetta engine is noisier than usual, since a secondary air pump is in action for better start to the engine. It remains to be seen if the Volkswagen Jetta in India will come loaded with these features. The Mark 5 is the model currently in production abroad, including in Germany. A BS Motoring report said that the same model will be offered in India too.

According to a BS Motoring report, Volkswagen is likely to launch the Jetta in India at a price tag of Rs 7-9 lakh. Now, at this price, it is guaranteed to take a chunk of the mid-size market, since Honda will be ready with the completely-revamped New City only in 2009. Till then, Jetta will have a free ride, with only SX4 for competition. Last year, India's C segment of mid-sized cars saw the sale of 2 lakh cars. Volkswagen hopes to make a mark in this segment with the Jetta.