PoloDriver

Australia’s National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) has awarded the Polo GTI and Jetta as two of the country’s most affordable cars. The most affordable cars to own in their respective classes, the Polo GTI came out top of the hot hatchback under $80,000 category. NRMA states that the small fast Volkswagen will set back drivers less than $170 per week, due to a fuel consumption of 6.5l/100km, which translates into an average weekly fuel bill of $32.56. NRMA compared Australia’s most comprehensive list of new vehicles in its Car Operating Cost survey. The ‘awards’ take into account the negotiated vehicle price, depreciation, opportunity interest, registration, comprehensive insurance, NRMA membership, maintenance and repairs, as well as fuel over a five-year period.

Polos do make it to the US after all! At least they do when it comes to testing of new model prototypes. While the Ford Fiesta gained a refreshing last year, the Polo’s rumoured facelift has been a long time coming. First launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, the current fifth-generation Polo 6R has been on sale for over four years with no major changes. These pictures show something we’ve expected for a while – that changes are indeed afoot.

Undergoing hot weather testing in Death Valley, Eastern California, these test prototypes have undisguised rears suggesting that either no changes will be made to the Polo’s back end, or that if there are, they are yet to be grafted on. We would think that Golf 7-like rear lights would update the Polo’s rear view, and one of these cars is badge BlueGT, even though it’s running on GTI wheels. The front does show some disguise, though, suggesting new headlamps, grille and bumper. Renderings by Filipe Augustus show how these treatments may look.

As for engines, the current range of units are probably already as technologically advanced as they can be (with the exception of the lower 1.2-litre three-cylinder powerplants), but a newly-developed three-pot TSI lump similar to that of the Up city car could be slotted under the Polo’s nose. It is expected to develop between 60 and 90bhp, therefore replacing the 1.2-litre versions at a stroke. We expect the facelifted Polo 6R to be enjoy a world premiere at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland – an almost unheard of 5 years after its predecessor.

[Images: SB-Medien and Filipe Augustus]
[Sources: worldcarfans.com, autoevolution.com and noticiasautomotivas.com]

Volkswagen India has today launched the latest Polo variant, the GT TDI. Mooted for some time, the five-door hatchback packs the same 1.6-litre TDI engine as its saloon sister, the Vento. With 250Nm/184lb ft of torque and 104bhp, the Polo GT TDI is the most powerful diesel hatchback in its market segment. Volkswagen India says that it has been ‘engineered to provide unmatched performance combined with excellent fuel economy.

The Polo GT TDI is available with the same equipment and trim as the 104bhp 1.2-litre GT TSI. Highlights include: 15-inch ‘Estrada’ alloy wheels; ‘GT’ chrome grille and rear badges; leather-wrapped steering wheel (multifunction), gear knob and handbrake lever handle; ‘Climatronic’ automatic air conditioning; and RCD 320 music system with USB, aux-in, SD Card, Bluetooth and four speakers. It comes in a choice of three colours, which incidentally, are the same as the Mk 1 Golf GTI: Flash Red, Candy White, and Deep Black. Prices start at Rs 8.08 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

Commenting on the launch of the New Polo GT TDI, Arvind Saxena, Managing Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt Ltd said: ‘We are committed to bringing in the latest and the most efficient vehicle technologies to the Indian market. The New Polo GT TDI has been created to cater to the requirements of Volkswagen’s discerning customers, who want the best possible mix of strong power delivery, outstanding driving dynamics as well as class-leading fuel efficiency.’

It’s the latest in a line of Polo models to be launched in India. The Cross Polo (note the space in-between the two words) is also now available to Indian buyers, priced at RS 7.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Powered by a 1.2-litre 74bhp TDI engine driving the front wheels, the Cross Polo looks identical to the model sold in mainland Europe. Launched on 23 August, the Cross Polo gets off-road styling cues including 15-inch alloy wheels, plastic lower body cladding, unique bumpers, and silver roof rails and door mirrors.

The Polo remains in the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK sales chart, according to the latest sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Slipping down one place from July’s chart, the Volkswagen supermini was the UK ninth best-selling car in August 2013, selling 1442 units. It performs higher in the year-to-date placings, staunchly holding on to seventh place. It still can’t touch the Ford Fiesta, though, with 75,148 registrations this year so far, 3289 of those in August. The seventh-generation Golf has bolstered Volkswagen UK’s sales sheet; it rises to third place in the new SMMT tallies.

Only around 3 per cent of annual registrations occur in August ahead of September’s plate change, says the SMMT, which typically accounts for around 17 per cent of full-year registrations. The fifth successive month of double-digit growth pushes year-to-date sales figures up 10.4 per cent to 1,391,788 units. ‘UK new car registrations have now risen consecutively for a year and a half. Ahead of the September plate-change, August always has far fewer registrations, but the rise this month bodes well for the new 63-plate,’ said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during August 2013 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 3289 (75,148, 1st)

2 Vauxhall Astra: 2428 (43,324, 4th)

3 Volkswagen Golf: 2233 (39,530, 5th)

4 Ford Focus: 2225 (57,129, 2nd)

5 Vauxhall Corsa: 2151 (53,284, 3rd)

6 BMW 1 Series: 1927 (24,364, 9th)

7 Nissan Qashqai: 1875 (33,299, 6th)

8 BMW 3 Series: 1517 (26,175, 8th)

9 Volkswagen Polo: 1442 (27,730, 7th)

10 Vauxhall Insignia: 1147


(The 2013 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Peugeot 208 in 10th place with 24,269 units sold.)

In a surprise twist, the Polo Vivo has lost its best-selling car in South Africa crown to the fifth-generation Polo 6R, according to the latest sales figures released by NAAMSA. Topping the charts in an almost unbroken run since its launch in March 2010, the entry-level Volkswagen Polo Vivo ‘only’ sold 2324 units in August 2013, whereas the Polo 6R found 2625 new buyers. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as a three and five-door hatchback starting from R165,300, in addition to the four-door Polo Sedan which has an entry price of R172,200. The hatchback range includes GTI, BlueMotion and CrossPolo variants.