Volkswagen is working on a new mid-size sedan as their INDIA 2.0 plan. The new sedan is expected to sit above the current Vento. It is likely to be called Virtus as Volkswagen already sells Virtus in the international market. As per Autocar India, the Volkswagen Virtus is expected to make its global debut in February 2022 and the prices are expected to be announced by late April 2022.
Ashish Gupta said in an interview with ACI, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India’s Brand Director said, “We will be starting production of the car somewhere around February or March and there will be a market introduction by end of April.”
The Virtus has been spied on the Indian roads quite a few times but no details could be derived from the test mules because the vehicle was so heavily camouflaged. The Virtus will share its underpinnings with the upcoming Skoda Slavia which is also a new mid-size sedan that is currently in development at Skoda Auto.
Also read: Skoda Rapid sedan”s replacement to be launched in India by 2021-end: Official
Platform
Both the sedans will share the same MQB A0 IN platform that we have already seen on the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun mid-size SUVs. The new platform is developed specifically for India and is derived from the MQB A0 platform that underpins Volkswagen and Skoda vehicles in the international market.
Because of this platform, the wheelbase of the Virtus will be 2,651 mm. This is 98 mm longer than the wheelbase of the Vento which has a wheelbase of 2,553 mm. The Virtus sold in the international market measures 4,482 mm in length, 1,751 mm in width and 1,472 mm in height. These dimensions are already larger than the current Vento. To be precise, the Virtus is 92mm longer, 52mm wider and 5mm taller than the Vento.
Engines and gearbox
The engines and gearboxes will be shared with its other siblings. So, there will be two petrol engines on offer. There will be a 1.0-litre TSI and a 1.5-litre TSI. The 1.0 TSI would be offered on most of the variants and it will be the go-to engine for most people. The 1.5 TSI would be preferred by enthusiasts who like driving.
The 1.0 TSI produces 115 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 178 Nm. It comes mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The 1.5 TSI on other hand is really powerful and would make the Virtus and Slavia, the most powerful mid-size sedan in the segment. This engine will be offered with a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It is not yet known if Volkswagen will be offering this engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox or not.
Feature
The feature list of the Virtus will be shared with the Volkswagen Taigun. So, expect it to come with a digital instrument cluster, automatic climate control, LED headlamps with LED Daytime Running Lamps, LED tail lamps, electric sunroof, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control and new Volkswagen Play touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.
Also read: Skoda Kushaq SUV”s official launch & price announcement timeline revealed officially
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