Volkswagen Ameo pricing begins at Rs 5.24 lakh, priced lower than the Polo!

Volkswagen India today announced the prices of its most important product for the Indian market, its sub 4-metre compact sedan Ameo. The car has been priced between Rs 5.24 lakh and Rs 7.05 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi for the petrol version, for the Trendline and Highline versions respectively. The Comfortline version slots in between, and is priced at 5.99 lakh ex-showroom New Delhi. The pricing of the Ameo, for the record, undercuts Volkswagen’s own Polo hatchback, which should come as a shocker to many. However, we believe that either the prices of the Polo will be dropped shortly to price it lower than the Ameo, or the prices of the Ameo will be revised in sometime. Pricing for the Ameo is a bit lower for Mumbai, ranging between Rs 5.13 lakh and Rs 6.91 lakh though that does not include octroi and local taxes and thus final pricing for the city could vary slightly. 

The petrol version will be powered by Volkswagen’s rather well-known 1.2-litre, three cylinder motor that is good for 75PS of power and 110Nm of torque. Prices for the diesel version are expected to be announced soon. Interestingly, Volkswagen has priced the petrol version of the Ameo very strategically, as its prices are lower than some of the popular cars in this uber-important segment, like the Honda Amaze and Hyundai Xcent. Its pricing is in fact nearly the same as the best-seller in its segment, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, which is a clear indication of Volkswagen’s intent of eating into the Dzire’s sales and gaining crucial market share. 

What’s more interesting is the fact that the Ameo is the most feature-rich car in its class. With several segment firsts, Volkswagen seem to have tried to tick the highest number of boxes for compact sedan buyers. To begin with, the car gets ABS and two front airbags as standard across all variants, which should force other players in the segment to follow suit. Other segment-first features include rain sensing wipers, cornering lights, cruise control, a front centre armrest and anti-pinch front and rear power windows. 

The feature list also includes a rear air-con vent, climate control, cooled glovebox, auto-dimming inside rear view mirror, rake and reach adjust for the steering wheel, rear view camera with rear parking sensors and a touchscreen infotainment system. Boot volume for this sub 4-metre sedan stands at 330 litres, while claimed efficiency for the petrol version stands at 17.83kmpl. With its kind of pricing and equipment on offer, the Ameo clearly seems to have an edge over the competition, on paper at least. Stay tuned for a detailed drive review of the car.