A mid-size Volkswagen will be launched in 2008 and would come from Skoda’s Aurangabad unit. The Jetta sedan will make use of completely-knocked-down kits from Pueblo, Mexico but will be assembled in Aurangabad facility. The operation will continue until 2009 when Volkswagen moves its own Rs 2,450-crore, 110,000 units a year facility in Pune.

According to Andreaz Prinz, Managing Director, Volkswagen India in an interview with Business Standard, the mid-size car would be given a competitive price that would match those of Honda City which means that it would have a price ranging from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 9 lakh. The other vehicles that the Jetta sedan will be competing within such price bracket will include the Maruti Suzuki SX4 and the Ford Fiesta. The segment has record sales of 200,000 units last year.

Volkswagen is planning a rapid expansion in India since the automaker feels that it has not given it much priority because it has been focusing on China. At present, the Wolfsburg-based automaker has three dealerships in India and is now opening more across the country. The very first assembled Volkswagen Indian car is the Passat and will be launched on September 5 rolling off from the same Skoda facility.

Going back to the Jetta sedan, it is based on the A5 Golf platform which is also the same basis for the Skoda Laura. The new midsize Jetta sedan is going to be a Golf hatchback with a boot and with better quality interiors and trim.

The name Jetta is inspired by “jet stream” and has been in production for almost 27 years now. Luckily for our Indian friends they will also be getting Volkswagen’s fifth-generation car that is currently in production in Germany.  

Europe’s largest automaker has also proposes to provide both petrol and diesel engine variants with the Jetta. The company is also likely to offer a 1.6 liter engine for its petrol lineup by employing its patented FSI technology.

In terms of the diesel engines, the company may borrow the 1.9 liter TDI engine from Skoda, the very same one equipped on the Octavia model in India. And with the Euro III ready engine, Volkswagen will have the chance to price the car competitively to match with the likes of the Hyundai Verna CRDi.

The company may also opt for different trim models with top-end versions of petrol and diesel to feature anti-lock braking system and airbags offered as part of the standard equipments.

To increase the competitiveness of Volkswagen in India, industry sources also suggest for the automaker to make a new global sourcing plan wherein suppliers who achieve lower price targets are rewarded by making them part of new model strategies. And of course since production of the new Jetta sedan is in India it is but right to include Indian suppliers as part of Volkswagen’s global supply chain.