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Volkswagen Passat, Jetta petrol models launch slated in March

Sailing the boat against the wind, German car maker Volkswagen has decided to launch the petrol models of Volkswagen Passat and Volkswagen Jetta in India. Notably, with the rise in petrol price lately in India, there has been significantly high demand for diesel cars in India. Following the same trend Volkswagen has introduced only the diesel models of these cars in India. The Jetta diesel model range price starts at Rs 16.34 lakh while Passat diesel price starts at Rs 24.27 lakh. It is believed that introduction of Jetta petrol and Passat petrol models will make these car attractively priced compared to their diesel counterparts and rivals.

Possible reasons for adopting this strategy could be introduction of more powerful, performing versions of these Volkswagen sedans in India besides, the motif to start the range of these cars from a lower price band. Another reason that must have triggered the decision could be the upcoming increase in the price of diesel cars in India with the new taxing on diesel cars. Apart from this, it could have been a strategic move to outshine Skoda Laura, Chevrolet Cruze, Renault Fluence and Toyota Corolla Altis which are the closest rivals of Volkswagen Jetta. Similarly it could be a move for Passat to give a straight fight to Honda Accord, Skoda Superb, Audi A4, Mercedes C Class and BMW 3 Series which are the closest rivals. All these rivals have their petrol offerings in place.

Significantly, the Passat and Jetta have been spotted in India a number of times with the TSI (petrol) tag. Possibly there will be a 1.8L 160 bhp petrol engine giving its service to the cars. This engine is said to have been shared with other siblings Skoda Laura and Skoda Superb as well. As per the recent updates available, the Jetta petrol and Passat petrol will be launched together in March.