Volkswagen Virtus 1.5 TSI MT Launched In India, Introduce New Trims

Volkswagen India has finally launched the much-awaited manual transmission version of the popular Virtus compact sedan in the country for its 1.5-litre GT TSI trim at Rs. 16.89 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The 6-speed manual gearbox joins the 7-speed DCT unit in the Virtus 1.5-litre GT TSI range, which is sold at Rs. 18.57 lakh (ex-showroom, India). Moreover, the company has also introduced new entry-level Edge trim to the Virtus compact sedan at Rs. 17.09 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The GT Edge carlines will be manufactured basis of customer bookings and deliveries will begin July 2023 onward.

With the new gearbox option, Volkswagen India expands its product range to a wider audience, much like its sibling, the Skoda Slavia, which already came with both the manual and automatic options. The GT Edge Limited Collection comprises the Virtus GT Plus DSG & GT Plus Manual in a Deep Black Pearl exterior body colour.

Moreover, the Virtus was the only car in the segment, up until now, to not receive a manual version, as against the Hyundai Verna and even the Honda City apart from the Skoda Slavia. With the introduction of the new gearbox, the company has reassured its intention to capture a larger pie of the sales chart in the compact sedan segment.

The Volkswagen Virtus comes equipped with two petrol engines- a 1.0 TSI and a 1.5 TSI, coupled to either a 6-speed MT, 6-speed AT, or a 7-DCT. The smaller displacement version develops 113 bhp and 178 Nm while the larger displacement trim churns out 148 bhp and 250 Nm of peak torque.