PoloDriver

The Polo once again held onto its place in the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during September. In ninth place last month, the Polo sold 7291 units according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). An 8.2 per cent rise on figures published for the same month last year, 359,612 ‘62’-plate cars were registered in September. The month is traditionally the second busiest of the month after March. Once again, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car of the month, and the year-to-date.

‘The important September plate change market outperformed expectations with new car registrations increasing on last year,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Although the economic outlook remains challenging, we are starting to see a tentative return of consumer confidence as motorists explore new products and the latest fuel-efficient technologies.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during September 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 18,651 (88,747, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 17,089 (72,475, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 13,837 (64,251, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 9864 (47,125, 5th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 9270 (50,142, 4th)
6 Mercedes C-Class: 7948 (29,772 9th)
7 BMW 3 Series: 7726 (34,340, 7th)
8 Nissan Qashqai: 7471 (35,865 6th)
9 Volkswagen Polo: 7291 (33,987, 8th)
10 Peugeot 208: 6741

The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling car absent from September’s sales figures is the Fiat 500 selling 26,480 units in tenth place.)

For the third consecutive month, the Polo Vivo is the top-selling car in South Africa. The evergreen entry-level best-seller sold 3386 units in September 2012, while the fifth-generation Polo was again in the runner-up position, with 2383 units finding homes. Volkswagen South Africa is the market leader in the country’s passenger car market for the ninth consecutive month, selling 8761 units last month, equating to a 22.2 per cent market share.

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 R107,200 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), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

For the first time, Volkswagen Middle East has launched a Polo Sedan, joining the Jetta, Passat and completing its saloon portfolio. The Polo is made in Volkswagen India’s Pune factory, and comes with a 104bhp 1.6-litre engine with a six-speed automatic gearbox. Other equipment includes 15-inch alloy wheels, twin airbags, ABs, and central locking with keyless entry. The notchback-styled Polo Sedan is 4384mm long, 1466mm tall and 1699mm wide, and is based on the same model which is sold in Russia, South Africa, and India as the Vento. The Polo Sedan offers 455 litres of boot space and has an extended wheelbase which is 82mm longer than the European Polo hatchback.

Volkswagen Middle East describes the Polo Sedan as ‘sleek, spacious and comfortable delivering luxury and innovation while being affordable.’ ‘The new Polo Sedan is the perfect combination of German engineering with optimum comfort and driving characteristics,’ says Marcus Butros, Sales Director, Volkswagen Middle East. ‘The Polo Sedan completes our sedan segment within the market following the Jetta and Passat and offers high safety standards, driving comfort, sleek styling and affordable innovation.’ The Polo Sedan is available in S and SE trims and should appear in Saudi Arabia, UAE and GCC showrooms this month. Prices will be announced shortly.

It’s good news for the Polo, as sales continue to hold firm enabling the evergreen small Volkswagen to remain in the UK’s best-selling car top 10 chart. With sales of 2863 units sold last month, the Polo sits in sixth place, in the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) list, rising two places when compared to July’s chart. The Ford Fiesta was once again the best-selling supermini and the best-selling car in the UK during August 2012.

Total new car registrations grew 0.1 per cent in August to 59,433 units, and demand for small and dual-purpose cars continued to grow strongly. ‘New car registrations remained broadly stable in August, a month which traditionally represents a small share of the new car market as motorists anticipate the arrival of the new 62-plate change in September,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The top 10 best-selling passenger cars in the UK during August 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 2993 (70,096, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 2430 (55,386, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 2089 (50,684, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 1933 (40,872, 4th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 1567 (37,261, 5th)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 1484 (26,696, 7th)
7 Audi A3: 1243
8 Nissan Qashqai: 1238 (28,394, 6th)
9 Vauxhall Zafira: 1164
10 BMW 1 Series: 1136 (20,481, 10th)

(The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling cars absent from August’s sales figures are the BMW 3 Series selling 26,614 units in eighth place, the Mercedes C-Class selling 21,824 units in ninth place, and the Vauxhall Insignia in tenth place, with 21,148 units sold.)

Volkswagen Switzerland has announced the Polo GTI Carbon Edition, a very limited edition model, which will only be available on the Swiss market. Essentially a Polo GTI with some added visual punch, only 100 examples will be sold.

The most striking external additions are the distinctive 17-inch, 10-spoke ‘Serron’ polished alloy wheels with black inserts, the ‘GTI Carbon Edition’ honeycomb door decals, and yes, you’ve guessed it, lots of carbon fibre-look trim. The door mirrors are covered in it, as are the B-pillars, which also bear the car’s number in the production run.

The interior features carbon-look trim from the official Volkswagen Accessories catalogue on the radio and air-conditioning surrounds, while standard Polo GTI equipment such as four electric windows and a media-in multimedia socket with USB adapter cable stays.

Four colours – Candy White, Flash Red, Deep Black Pearl Effect and Oryx White Pearl Effect – make up the Polo GTI Carbon Edition’s palette, and while it may be no more than a visually-decorated special, it’s bound to go down well with Swiss Polo fans. The price? €26,430. Deliveries and orders start in October.