• Virtus is the second VW based on the MQB-A0-IN platform.
• It will essentially be the facelifted Virtus that will be sold in Brazil.
• Should get ventilated front seats, a sunroof and a digital driver’s display.
• Will be offered with 1-litre 115hp TSI and 1.5-litre 150hp TSI engines, both paired with MT and AT.
• Will go on sale in May 2022.

Volkswagen has confirmed that the upcoming Vento successor, which is scheduled to premiere on March 8th, will be called Virtus. The upcoming sedan will be the second VW based on the localized MQB-A0-IN platform. It will go on sale in May 2022. The existing Vento, on the other hand, will soon face the ax.

The Virtus is in fact the sedan version of the sixth generation Polo sold in overseas markets such as Brazil. Volkswagen will unveil the facelifted model in India and it will be the mid-life update for the model sold overseas. A teaser has already given us a hint that the sedan will get Polo-like styling and a sportier front bumper.

Since the Virtus will be the Volkswagen version of the Slavia, the dimensions are expected to be the same. For reference, the Slavia is 4541mm long, 1752mm wide, 1487mm high and sits on a 2651mm wheelbase. You can see here how the dimensions of the Slavia compare to the Rapid (Vento with badge).

We’ve yet to see the interior of the upcoming sedan, but we can confirm that it will share the steering wheel, digital driver display, gear knob, touchscreen infotainment system, and touchscreen climate control panel with the Taigun SUV. In typical VW fashion, the dashboard design was intended to be essentially straightforward, with all the controls right where they would be needed, and overall not differing much from the existing Virtus cabin.

The feature list of the upcoming sedan should be exactly the same as that of the Taigun. So you can expect conveniences like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, ventilated front seats, connected car tech, ambient lighting, a wireless phone charger, a single-pane sunroof, a digital driver display, and cruise control.

On the safety front, the Virtus should get up to six airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors with a camera, electronic stability control and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The Virtus gets the 1-liter three-cylinder with 115 hp/178 Nm and the 150 hp/250 Nm four-cylinder turbo petrol engine of the Slavia. The latter achieves the best performance figures in the segment and receives cylinder deactivation technology for better fuel economy. A 6-speed manual is standard, while the 1-litre is available with a 6-speed torque converter and the 1.5-litre with a 7-speed DSG.

Pricing of the Volkswagen Virtus is expected to start at Rs 10.5 lakh. It will go head-to-head with the Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the soon-to-be-launched Skoda Slavia.