Volkswagen Virtus Global Debut On 8th March: Will Replace Volkswagen Vento In India

According to Volkswagen, the Virtus mid-size sedan will make its global debut on March 8, 2022.

This might be confusing for Volkswagen Anoraks as the Volkswagen Virtus sedan is already on sale in some South American markets since 2018. To bring clarity to this matter, it is the facelifted version of the Volkswagen Virtus sedan sold in South American markets that will make its global debut on the above-mentioned date.

With the debut of the new Volkswagen Virtus, the German automaker will replace the ageing Volkswagen Vento mid-size sedan in India.

The upcoming Volkswagen Virtus mid-size sedan is built on the same MQB-A0 IN platform as other cars under the Volkswagen Group such as the Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Slavia, and Skoda Kushaq.

This means the upcoming Skoda Slavia and the Volkswagen Virtus sedan will be almost identical under the skin with almost identical dimensions, features and powertrain options.

This means the upcoming Volkswagen Vento replacement will come with features such as a large 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment unit with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, a fully-digital instrument cluster, electric sunroof, automatic climate control, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, cruise control and much more.

Apart from that, the Volkswagen Virtus sedan will also come with top-tier safety features such as 6-airbags, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), ABS, EBD, Traction Control (TC) and much more.

Like the Skoda Slavia, the upcoming Volkswagen Virtus will be powered by two engine options. The 1.0-litre TSI petrol engine is likely to produce 113bhp of peak power and 178Nm of peak torque. Whereas the larger 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine will produce around 150bhp of peak power and 250Nm of peak torque.

Also, like the Skoda Slavia, the Volkswagen Virtus will come with a choice of manual and automatic transmissions on all engine options. If Volkswagen intends to take the same route as Skoda Slavia, both engine options on offer will come with similar 6-speed manual transmissions, however, the automatic transmissions will differ in both the 1.0-litre TSI and 1.5-litre TSI variants.

This means the Volkswagen Virtus equipped with the 1.0-litre TSI engine will get the 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox, whereas the Volkswagen Virtus equipped with the 1.5-litre TSI engine will come equipped with a more advanced 7-speed DSG transmission.

We expect Volkswagen Virtus to be priced a smidge above the upcoming Skoda Slavia in India and may come with more premium upholstery to justify the minor premium on the pricing.

Thoughts About Volkswagen Virtus Sedan In India

Though Volkswagen Vento has been a strong performer for the German automaker in India, the sales of the mid-size sedan have seen a dip in recent years as its competitor brands have launched updated models in the country.

With the launch of Volkwagen Virtus, the German automaker can claw back the lost ground and improve the overall sales figures for the company in India.