European auto major Volkswagen will be launching its iconic car, the Beetle, in India in December 2009. It will be imported from Volkswagen’s Mexican plant. First launched in 1938, the Beetle went on to become the world’s most-produced car of a single design. It was originally known as ‘Kafer’, which means beetle in German.
Other VW cars available in India are the Jetta, the Passat and the Touareg, which is an SUV. The company will launch its small car, the Polo, in early 2010. The Volkswagen Group, which also includes Audi and Skoda, had earlier stated that it wanted to achieve an 8-10 per cent share in India’s passenger car market in the next 6 years. It sold 19,000 units last year. VW currently has two production facilities in India – one at Aurangabad and the second at Chakan. The company wants the Chakan plant to run at its full-capacity by 2012 and will double its headcount to reach the target.
