German automaker Volkswagen to sell 50,000 cars in India 2011 | Polo and Vento in India

German automaker Volkswagen to sell 50,000 cars in India 2011 | Polo and Vento in India

German automaker Volkswagen is hoping to sell over 50,000 cars in India this year

on a conservative estimate. The company had sold around 32,000 units in 2010, a ten-fold increase over 2009, driven by its “volume segment” models Polo and Vento.

“Sales in India are driven by our volume segment cars — Polo and Vento. In 2010, we saw a ten-fold increase in sales, mainly driven by these two models,” said Neeraj Garg, director, Volkswagen India.

Garg said that the company’s brand identification has shot up since 2007, when it entered the Indian market with the Passat. Today, it holds a seven-car portfolio in a price range of Rs 4.5 lakh to over Rs 75 lakh. VW’s lowest priced car, Polo, has turned out to be largest selling. Last year it sold about 15,000 Polo cars followed by the mid-range sedan Vento that sold about 8,000 units.

In the volume segment, Polo and Vento command a share of five and six per cent, respectively. The higher priced Jetta and Passat hold a combined share of eight to ten per cent, he said.
The company is aggressively expanding its dealer network. At present, it has 70 dealerships across 57 cities. “This year we are looking at multi-fold growth and want to expand vigorously into tier II and tier III cities. We are looking at cities like Asansol and Siliguri in Bengal for our upcoming dealerships,” Garg said.
VW is aiming at annual sales growth of at least 15 per cent over the next five years, a top company official said.