Next-Gen Volkswagen Jetta Axed For India

German carmaker Volkswagen has decided not to launch the seventh-generation Jetta in India. VW will however continue to produce the current model of the Jetta till the CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits run out of stock, possibly by the end of 2017.

The current Jetta is costlier than the Toyota Corolla Altis and the Skoda Octavia, both of which have received a much better response from the Indian market. In fiscal year 2015-16, the Jetta clocked 1,940 units whereas its sibling brand Skoda sold 2,675 units of the Octavia and the Japanese counterpart Toyota sold 6,506 units of the Corolla Altis. The Jetta currently sells in double digits a month and the seventh-generation model with its latest tech would likely become even more expensive than the current offering, making it difficult for the car to make a case for itself in India. It surely is a sensible move from the Germans to axe the Jetta from its product offerings in India and focus on products more like the Tiguan for the Indian market.

The new-gen Jetta is scheduled for an international launch in 2017. It will be built on VW's MQB platform but might not have the RHD (Right Hand Drive) option, which also suggests that it will not make its way to the Indian market. Sales numbers put together from the RHD markets such as India, United Kingdom and South Africa barely touch 10 per cent of the sales achieved by the Golf hatchback. Volkswagen will mainly target the American and Chinese market with the new-gen Jetta.

The executive sedan segment has been witnessing a steady decline while SUVs and MPVs have been strengthening their grip in the same price bracket. Perhaps, affordable, compact SUVs should be the way to go for the German carmaker if it intends to make a significant impact in the market.