PoloDriver

Volkswagen India has launched a fresh assault on the supermini market this week with a new advertising campaign for its popular Polo and Vento (Polo saloon) models. The pair were mildly refreshed a few months ago, and this campaign highlights some of the gadget-led revisions that appear on the small hatchback and its saloon counterpart. These 45-second TV commercials highlights the new Bluetooth connection both 2013 models receive, and is done with Volkswagen’s trademark sense of humour. The new advertising campaign strapline is ‘The Polo. Added features. Added value.’ (The same slogan applies to the Vento).

[Source: Indian Autos Blog]

It won’t come as a surprise to regular readers, but the Polo Vivo and Polo 6R were announced as 2012’s top-selling cars in South Africa today. Both locally produced, the Polo Vivo topped the sales charts, with 34,873 units sold, while 28,667 fifth-generation (current) Polos found new owners. The pair accounted for a staggering 14.4 per cent of the total South African passenger car market. Volkswagen Group South Africa ended 2012 as the market leader of the passenger car segment in the country for the fourth consecutive year with the total sales of 99,106 units (Volkswagen: 82,363, Audi: 16,743) and overall market share of 22.3 per cent. Continuing its massive success story, the Polo Vivo was once again the best-selling car in South Africa for last month, with 2307 units sold.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R108,300 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3). The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as a three and five-door hatchback, plus the more traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

The Polo ended 2012 on a high in the UK, taking the eighth spot in the country’s best-selling cars chart. With a tally of 41,901 examples sold over the year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) report that the small Volkswagen sat at number 10 in the figures for December 2012. Private registrations saw the 2012 UK market boosted by 100,000 sales, with volumes up a total of 3.7 per cent. It was the highest annual set of figures recorded since 2008, at 2,044,609 units. Superminis were up 5.6 per cent, with the Ford Fiesta taking the 2012 bestseller crown, with 109,265 units.

‘More than two million new cars were registered in the UK during 2012, up 5.3 per cent on the previous 12 months and the best result since recession struck in 2008,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Boosted by strong consumer demand, the market grew at its fastest rate for 11 years with innovative, fuel-efficient cars keeping buyers in showrooms.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during December 2012 and for 2012 as a whole (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Focus: 5265 (83,115, 3rd)
2 Vauxhall Astra: 5112 (63,023, 4th)
3 Ford Fiesta: 4977 (109,265, 1st)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4510 (89,434, 2nd)
5 BMW 1 Series: 3196 (34,488, 10th)
6 BMW 3 Series: 3181 (44,521, 7th)
7 Mini: 3143
8 Nissan Qashqai: 2840 (45,675, 6th)
9 Volkswagen Golf: 2556 (62,021, 5th)
10 Volkswagen Polo: 2500 (41,901, 8th)

(The 2012 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in ninth place with 37,261 units sold.)

According to reports over the past week, Volkswagen is considering a four-wheel drive of the Polo after all. UK outlet Autocar suggested in an interview with Ulrich Hackenburg, Head of Research and Development at Volkswagen and a leading light in the Polo R WRC campaign, that an AWD variation could be suited some markets, and would undoubtedly be welcomed as the Polo R WRC competition car takes to the global rally stages.

The front-wheel drive Polo R WRC Street was unveiled last month. The most powerful and fastest production Polo to date, the limited edition R WRC Street’s chassis handles 218bhp from its 2.0-litre TSI engine. Volkswagen Group has already produced a four-wheel drive version of the PQ25 chassis which underpins the group’s superminis – the £41,035 Audi A1 quattro develops 252bhp, so there’s scope for yet more power.

Volkswagen has issued numerous denials when asked about the availability of both four-wheel drive and ‘R’ versions of the Polo, but now the R WRC Street has appeared, maybe, just maybe, there’s room for the ultimate halo Polo model, which would also neatly sit alongside the competition car. Autocar states that as the €33.900 2500-example Polo R WRC Street has appeared at the beginning of the competition car’s three-year campaign, rumours are rife that a more powerful four-wheel drive road car could indeed follow.

Similarly to 2011, the most exciting Polo news of 2012 was the unveiling of the Polo R WRC in final competition trim. Other motorsport series also continued around the world, with the Polo competing as both a rally and track car. As far as the road car was concerned, it still continued to win awards and post strong sales figures in the UK and further afield. A number of special editions were launched in various markets, while the 218bhp Polo R WRC ‘Street’ – the most powerful production and the most expensive Polo ever – was announced. (Bold entries are illustrated by the picture above that particular month.)

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