Volkswagen has introduced its 1.0-litre MPI petrol engine in India to replace the existing 1.2-litre unit petrol on the Polo hatchback. Autocar India had broken the news of this move in the July 2017 issue of the magazine.

This new-for-India 999cc, naturally-aspirated, three-cylinder engine makes 76hp at 6200rpm and 95Nm at 3000-4300rpm. For reference, the older 1.2-litre engine developed 75hp at 5,400rpm but a stronger 110Nm at 3750rpm. Notably, the ARAI-tested fuel economy of 18.78kpl for the new 1.0-litre engine is a significant improvement over the older 1.2 unit’s 16.47kpl. The new engine is also lighter by about 18 kilograms and is understood to be BS-VI emission norms-ready.

Like the 1.2 MPI it replaces, the new engine comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

As per Volkswagen’s media release, the 1.0 MPI unit will replace the 1.2 MPI across the product range, suggesting it will be offered on the Ameo compact sedan shortly as well.

The carmaker has not changed pricing for the Polo, however. The Polo 1.0 MPI range starts at Rs 541,000 (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the Trendline variant. The mid-spec Polo Comfortline comes in at Rs 610,000, the Highline costs Rs 701,000 , while the range-topping Highline Plus continues to be priced at Rs 724,000.

As before, the Polo will also be offered in turbo-petrol GT TSI guise as well as in diesel form.