Alexander Helfritz, the sales and marketing director of DT Dobie and Usha Nagpal, the general manager sales for Volkswagen, unveiled the Polo Vivo Comfortline and the Caddy Kombi at a launch function.
Delivering the keynote speech, Alexander Helfritz said the Company is looking to assemble more of their brands locally in the near future.
“In 2016 we launched the first ever locally assembled German car in Kenya, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo. Today we are launching the new VW Polo Vivo Comfortline, an improvement from the first Polo Vivo and the Caddy Kombi van which are locally assembled and are designed and built for Africa roads. By assembling more of our brands locally we are supporting the Government Big 4 agenda in the manufacturing sector,” he said.
Polo Vivo Comfortline, Usha Nagpal said, has a 1.6litre 16-valve fuel-efficient engine. The long list of safety equipment includes Anti-locking Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Pressure Distribution (EBD), stability control and childproof locks on rear doors. There are three point seat belts in the front with height adjustment and belt tensioner with three key point seat belts for passengers in the rear.
Standard equipment includes air-conditioning, bluetooth connectivity, USB/CD and SD card slot, alloy wheels and dual airbags. In addition, buyers are offered optional extras to suit their individual tastes. Instrument cluster with speedometer, tachometer, digital clock, fuel level and temperature indicators are among other features.
Turning to the Volkswagen Caddy Kombi, she said the vehicle has two rear sliding doors with a seating capacity of up to seven passengers. It is equipped with a 1.6-litre engine, which delivers 102 horsepower and power goes to the front wheels via a five-speed automatic, or manual transmission alternative.
Among the safety features are Anti-locking Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential locks (EDL), and electronic stabilization program (ESP), child lock on sliding doors, engine drag torque control and traction control system (TCS). This is a cost efficient machine, which combines versatility, flexibility and solidity very perfectly making it adapt to different situations.
These two vehicles, she said, have brought new car ownership within reach of many more Kenyans as they are attractive and cost effective alternatives to buying used cars. “The buyers have the satisfaction of knowing that these cars will have to be driven for four, or five years before they reach the mileage of a used imported car.”
