German luxury carmaker Volkswagen on Thursday said it rolled out the 11,111,111th unit of its small car Polo from the Chakan (Pune) plant. This car was rolled out in the presence of German President Horst Kohler, who is now on a state visit to India, Volkswagen said in a statement.
The company had show-cased the Polo in the domestic market during the Auto Expo last month with a 1.2 litre petrol engine. Commercial launch of the small car is expected by March and a diesel variant later this year.
“We are determined to bring the Polo’s European success story to India. Volkswagen will tap its opportunities here with vehicles like the Polo, our modern plant in Pune and a highly-motivated workforce,” Volkswagen Member of the Board of Management Jochem Heizmann said.
The small car was first introduced globally in 1975 and is now being manufactured, besides Chakan, at its two other Volkswagen plants — at Pamplona in Spain and Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The first Polo was rolled out from the Chakan plant mid-December last year. “The scale of investment to date underscores Volkswagen’s long-term commitment to India,” Mr. Heizmann added.
The car that was rolled out on Thursday would find its place at the museum of the 580-million euro Chakan plant. The plant has an annual capacity of 1.1 lakh units and also manufactures the Fabia model from Skoda Auto, a part of the Volkswagen group globally.
