Volkswagen Vento special IPL edition launched

Even as people may be busy witnessing the largest cricketing spectacle, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, promotional activities for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricketing tournament are already underway. The first big announcement from the automotive industry came from the German automobile giant, Volkswagen (VW) on Thursday with the launch of a new limited edition Vento.

The IPL edition model will be modelled and decorated to commemorate the soon to begin 4th Season of the IPL. Volkswagen unveiled a special Indian Premier League (IPL) edition of its already existing Vento priced Rs. 6.99 lakh on March 10. “ Vento was launched in September 2010 in India and we have sold 14,400 units as of February 2011,” said Lutz Kothe, head of marketing and PR, Volkswagen Group sales Pvt. Ltd.

The IPL edition Vento is based on the 1.6- litre petrol engine and will stand out with the IPL logo on the boot and seats.

According to Volkswagen, this special IPL edition Vento is the first action model in India and it will be on sale at its dealerships pan- India from the first week of April for Rs. 7.24 lakh.

VW has been named as the official partner for the fourth and fifth season of the highprofile IPL cricket tournament.

Neeraj Garg, member of board of director, Volkswagen passenger cars, Volkswagen group sales India Pvt Ltd said, “ Volkswagen has 70 dealers in 57 cities across the country and the special edition Vento will be available through all our dealers.” Volkswagen has sold 12,678 cars in January and February 2011.

“ The popularity of IPL is growing every year. The fourth season of IPL is just a month away and a special edition of action model from Volkswagen will add to the excitement of the game,” said Sundar Raman, chief executive officer (CEO), IPL. The Vento IPL Edition is loaded with a state- of- the- art colour touchscreen multimedia player that includes a navigation system among other things. Adorned with IPL decals on its body, a specially crafted door sill garn and floor mats adorned with the IPL logo, the Volkswagen Vento will attract cricket lovers in a big way.

Said Garg, “ IPLs popularity was the only reason why we joined hands with it. IPL is an annual event which people look forward to. This edition of Vento is equipped with a multimedia player with colour touchscreen, USB port, I pod control, Bluetooth and a built- in navigation system.” “ Apart from the new features, all the Vento IPL edition buyers would get a special IPL edition bat and ball,” he added.

Speaking about the partnership of IPL and Volkswagen, Raman said, “ Volkswagen is our exclusive automotive partner for both this and the next season.

It is encouraging to see that a brand from a non- cricket playing country, Germany, has partnered with us.” “ We have introduced special editions globally; this is the first time in India. With this special edition we look forward to reach out to more and more customers.