Volkswagen Virtus production commences in India

Volkswagen has announced the start of production of the upcoming Virtus sedan, recently. The latest entrant in the premium midsize sedan segment will be manufactured at the Chakan facility in Pune, India. The Virtus falls under VW’s India 2.0 project and is the second offering developed on the MQB A0 IN platform with up to 95 percent localization levels. The first, of course, was the Taigun. Volkswagen India has already opened pre-bookings for the Virtus. Furthermore, it will come in six exterior colour options such as Wild Cherry Red, Carbon Steel Grey, Reflex Silver, Curcuma Yellow, Candy White and Rising Blue. “The New Volkswagen Virtus is an unparalleled offering that brings in the newness and excitement in the premium midsize sedan segment. The overwhelming response received at the World Premiere has further driven our confidence. The New Virtus is built to perfection for aspirational Indian customers and with the start of production, we are eager to introduce the striking, exhilarating and German-engineered sedan at the earliest for the Indian market.” said Ashish Gupta, Brand Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India. Once it does arrive, the Virtus will be available with two TSI engine options - 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo petrol and the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol. Just like the Slavia, the gearbox options will also remain the same. A six-speed manual, common between both engines; and a seven-speed DSG (1.5-litre TSI) and six-speed torque converter unit (1.0-litre TSI). Both engines will come equipped with an idle start/stop system along with 40+ active and passive safety features. Moreover, the bigger TSI motor will get Active Cylinder Management Technology (ACT), as well. The brand new Virtus is said to be the longest car (4,561 mm) in the premium midsize sedan segment and offers 521-litres of boot space, too. The Volkswagen Virtus is expected to arrive in India during the month of May and will compete with the Skoda Slavia, Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, on its arrival. We expect it to priced at a slight premium, in comparison to it’s sibling - Skoda Slavia.