Sirish’s blog: The time has come for ₹50 lakh hatchbacks

A 50 lakh rupee hatchback? You had to be very brave or completely out of your mind to launch that in India except, here’s the Volkswagen Golf GTI, and the initial allocation of 150 cars have all been spoken for. Right time, right place!

Back in 2016 when the Volkswagen Polo GTI came to India, the regular VW Polo was still around and save for the two fewer doors the average fellow on the street was hard pressed to tell the difference between GT and GTI. Or even grumbly-diesel and GTI. That was a problem, particularly since the GTI, at ₹26 lakh, was more than twice the price of a regular Polo. And we all know how that story panned out. 100 cars came. And most found takers only after prices were knocked down to ₹16.5 lakh.

Today? You can’t get one for less than ₹20-22 lakh. A car as an appreciating asset is a rare thing and the Polo GTI ranks amongst the Porsche 911s and Mercedes G-Wagons of this world! Today, enthu-cutlets are happy to put their money where their mouths are. And thus, the response, the Golf GTI.

It also helps that we don’t get a regular Golf in India, ensuring exclusivity of the GTI. And at ₹53 lakh, the Golf GTI occupies a lovely sweet spot – until Skoda brings in their Octavia vRS. (Side note, mercifully this time the Skoda-VW Group have spaced out their launches, in stark contrast to the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line and Skoda Kodiaq being launched back-to-back and now both warring for the same customer).

The only real rival right now is the BMW M340i. 6-cylinder engine, all-wheel-drive, the traditionally more acceptable sedan body style. I asked a few GTI customers why not spend the extra ₹20 lakh and get a faster car, with the more desirable (or at least more premium) M badge, and here are a few of the responses. Reverse brand snobbery. Flying under the radar. Can be parked anywhere. The convenience of daily-driving a hatchback. The agility of a hatchback. One even pointed out that the GTI is the real deal and I can vouch for that. Flat-out on the high-speed track is one thing but it is on the handling track that the GTI really comes alive. Savage front-end bite, hatred of understeer, delicious agility of the chassis, tenacious traction from the VAQ limited slip differential – this is the best-handling front-wheel-drive car you can buy in India.

Best part? Octavia vRS is coming, that’s confirmed, but the GTI’s response will embolden the fence-sitters. Honda Civic Type R! Hyundai i30 N! Maybe Ioniq 5 N (though that pricing will be in another realm)! Toyota GR Yaris! The time has come for ₹50 lakh hatchbacks.