The Volkswagen Ameo was a subcompact sedan launched by the German manufacturer Volkswagen, for the Indian market on 5 June 2016. It was made in India and sold in the subcompact sedan segment, marketed with the tagline "German engineering with an Indian heart". The Ameo comes under the scheme Make in India. The Ameo was the first ever sub four metre segment sedan from Volkswagen, plugging in the gap between two other offerings in India, being the Volkswagen Polo and the Volkswagen Vento. The Ameo was discontinued in April 2020, as the car was not compliant with the BS6 norms, which came into force on April 2020.
Etymology
The word ‘Ameo’ is derived from the Latin word ‘amo’, meaning love. This goes against Volkswagen’s traditional naming language that uses names of winds.
Engine
On its introduction to the Indian market, the Ameo was powered by a 1.2 litre three cylinder inline naturally aspirated petrol engine and a 1.5 litre four cylinderturbocharged diesel engine. The 1.2 litre petrol engine was phased out due to reported low fuel efficiency, and was replaced by the new one litre, three cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine, that does its duty on the Polo. The Ameo is now powered by the one litre, three cylinder petrol engine which produces of power at 6,200 rpm with peak torque of. The diesel variant is powered by a 1.5 litre TDIfour cylinder engine, that develops at 4,000 rpm and of peak torque, which makes it the most powerful diesel subcompact sedan in the country.
Transmissions
The car is available with a five speed manual transmission for the petrol and diesel engines, and seven speed DSG automatic for the Highline Plus variant of the diesel engine.
Fuel efficiency
The petrol variant of the Ameo delivers a reported fuel efficiency of 16 km/l in the city and around 19 km/l on the highway. The ARAI rated fuel efficiency of the vehicle's petrol version is 19.44 km/l, and that of the diesel with the manual transmission is 21.7 km/l. The fuel efficiency of the diesel automatic variant is 22 km/l owing to the faster shift times of the DSG.
Variants
The Ameo is available in three variants, the Trendline, Comfortline and Highline Plus. The previously available Comfortline Plus and Highline variants have been discontinued. All variants get basic features like LED blinkers on the wing mirrors, tilt and telescopic adjustable steering wheel, air conditioning and a flat bottomed steering wheel, as well as safety features like dual front airbags, front and rear side three point seat belts, height adjustable head restraints and an anti lock Braking System. The Comfortline variant gets rear power windows, a two DIN music system with Bluetooth connectivity, a glovebox lamp, a remote central locking system, an MID, a height adjustable driver's seat, body coloured door handles and electrically adjustable body coloured wing mirrors. The Highline Plus variant has a dual tone interior theme, a chrome detailed air dam, chrome appliqué on the door handles, 16 inch alloy wheels, a touchscreen infotainment system, footwell lamps, a leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever and one touch operable power windows. It also has electrically foldable wing mirrors, cruise control, a climate control system, reverse parking sensors and a camera, speed sensing door locks, a front centre armrest with rear air conditioning vents, and a twelve volt socket, and rain sensing windshield wipers. This variant's diesel version also has the option of the seven speed DQ200 dry clutch automatic DSG.
