It is a well-known fact that car manufacturers are betting big on
compact vehicles to do large volumes in the Indian market. Hyundai
informed us today that its Xcent compact sedan has managed to garner over 11,000 bookings in
just the 30 days following its launch. This despite the fact that it
was competing against potent rivals such as the Honda Amaze and Maruti
Swift Dzire. There’s clearly a leaning towards compact cars in the
Indian market and the demand is only going to be met with a higher
supply. The latest company to express its interest in having a horse in
the compact sedan race is Volkswagen.Volkswagen hasn’t been having a great time in the Indian market. There hasn’t been that one break out Volkswagen model that can be credited with driving sales efforts. The Polo has been their most saleable product but the hatchback came under fire following a dismal show at the NCAP safety tests following which sales of a few variants have been put on hold so as to facilitate a safety update. The German car maker now turns its attention to the compact sedan segment in order to push sales numbers up.
When it comes to compact cars most makers have chosen to either stretch out a hatch or contract a sedan. Volkswagen has done the latter and the upcoming compact sedan will based on the Vento sedan. Most of the external features of the compact will be derived from the Vento. The main differences will be on the rear of the car, where the length of the boot and overhang will need to be curbed in order to limit the cars length to within 4 metres.
The sub-4 metre segment has been thriving in the Indian market and it is no coincidence. The government extends tax cuts to these cars, which are relayed to customers in the form of more aggressive prices. This is the main reason why cars like the Honda Amaze have been so successful in the country. Other companies that are working on their own sub-4 metre cars are Skoda, Fiat and Nissan. The Nissan compact sedan will be based on the Sunny.
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