IAB Report - VW Vento facelift with a localized design launching this festive season

VW India is working on a facelift for the mid-size Vento sedan, and it is expected in showrooms in the festive season period this year.

Speaking to Indian Autos Blog at the sidelines of the VW Polo facelift launch, Mahesh Kodumudi, VW India president and managing director, confirmed that the updated Vento will see a more localized design, one that is executed taking more Indian inputs onboard.

When asked about VW India's plans for the festive season, Mr. Kodumudi said -

The festival season we intend to address with the new Polo (GT TSI and GT TDI variants) and we're also working on the refresh of the other models.

We surmise that like the refreshed Polo, the Vento too will get more chrome at the front especially in the bumper and grille areas. However, like the Polo, the highlight of the refreshed Vento will be its 1.5-liter four-cylinder diesel engine. The new engine is offered in variations of 90 PS (88.73 bhp) and 105 PS (103.52 bhp) on the Polo, and its likely for the more powerful variant to power the Vento.

A media report also stated that the Vento diesel could get the DSG automatic transmission in addition to the 5-speed manual gearbox. At present the Hyundai Verna is the sole diesel-AT offering in its segment. Petrol variants of the Vento, which use 1.6-liter naturally aspirated and 1.2-liter turbocharged engines, are expected to continue unchanged. The 1.6-liter naturally aspirated motor is paired to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and the 1.2-liter TSI gets a 7-speed DSG.

Competitors: Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Skoda Rapid, Ford Fiesta, Nissan Sunny

Expected Price: INR 7.5 - 11 lakhs, ex-Showroom