The Volkswagen Virtus has been a big hit in India and the automaker has made its Chakan facility the global production hub for the compact sedan. With sales picking up pace in the domestic market, the German auto giant began exports of the Virtus late last year with Mexico. The made-in-India VW Virtus has now found a new home in Brazil and interestingly gets ADAS too there.
The Brazilian-spec Volkswagen Virtus was launched earlier this year and the model is sold in three trims – Comfortline, Highline and Exclusive. The latter is the GT equivalent in the Brazilian market. Compared to the India-spec version, the Virtus sedan for Brazil comes with subtle changes. This includes the revised DRL design and LED reflectors instead of projector lens headlamps. The model also gets larger 18-inch alloy wheels with a dual-tone finish.
The Volkswagen Virtus Exclusive trim further brings a bit of “exclusivity” with faux leather and vinyl finish on the dashboard and interior panel. There’s also an Exclusive badge on the fender, side skirts and a rear spoiler to complete the look. The cabin gets a brown and black dual-tone finish in Brazil as against the beige and black theme seen on the Indian model.
The feature list is similar to the Indian model with features like the digital console and touchscreen infotainment system. But the Brazilian Virtus benefits from ADAS bringing adaptive cruise control, manoeuvre braking function, forward collision mitigation and post-collision break function to the model. However, the model also misses out on ventilated seats and an electric sunroof which are seen in the Indian model.
On the power front, the Brazilian Volkswagen Virtus gets the same 1.0-litre TSI and 1.5-litre TSI engine as the Indian model. The former makes about 128PS and 200Nm of peak torque, while the latter makes 150PS and 250Nm of peak torque. However, both engines get only a 6-speed automatic transmission while the 6-speed manual and 7-speed DSG have been skipped completely.
Considering the Virtus is made in India, there’s a good chance that VW India will bring ADAS to the Indian market at a later date. This is even more relevant considering the Honda City Hybrid gets it already and the upcoming new-generation Hyundai Verna could come with it too.
