PoloDriver

While panoramic sunroofs may be a rare sight in the UK, they may be about to be commonplace in Europe. Volkswagen has recently added the five-door Polo Sky to its range in Austria, and as you’d expect with a name like that, a panoramic glass sunroof makes up a pretty large part of this special-edition Volkswagen supermini. Other extra kit differentiating the Polo Sky from its lesser brethren includes pricey LED daytime running lights, ‘Climatronic’ climate control, rain sensor, 15-inch ‘Riverside’ alloy wheels, ‘Pepper Grey Metallic’ centre console finish and unique ‘Livon’ upholstery.

Petrol engines start with the 68bhp 1.2, move up through the 1.4-litre 84bhp unit, and finish with the 1.2 104bhp TSI. 90 and 105bhp 1.6 TDIs are also available. Although sounding like a tie-up between Volkswagen and TV conglomerate BSkyB, the Polo Sky appears to be good value, starting at €17.880 for the lesser-powered 1.2, rising to €22.480 for the 90bhp 1.6 TDI with seven-speed DSG gearbox. For more information on the Polo Sky – and other models in the Volkswagen Austria special-edition ‘Sky’ range – visit the Volkswagen Austria website.

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Although all the hype was around the new Up! city car and the Beetle R Concept, Volkswagen had a surprise for Polo fans at the IAA 2011 in Frankfurt. Unveiling both the first drivable of the Polo R WRC rally car (see our seperate story) and the first-ever Polo R-Line, the company made sure its smaller car followers weren’t left out of the fun. The best-selling car in its class in Germany, the Polo now joins the Golf, Scirocco, Passat CC and Touareg in having an R-branded model in its range. Now, don’t get too excited, the Polo R-Line isn’t a fire-breathing 300bhp road-going version of the Polo R WRC rally car, but rather a stylised model to show what such a car might look like. Think of it as a Polo GTI with a bit more visual punch.

Available at the end of the year, the Polo R-Line shares a more jutting chin with the Golf and Scirocco Rs, has a gloss black radiator grille with ‘R-Line’ badge, deeper side sills, revised front and rear bumpers, a larger than standard rear spoiler and 16-inch ‘Mallory’ alloys (the IAA show car is fitted with 17-inch versions), which for all the world look like the larger 19” ‘Talledega’ versions fitted to the proper R cars. Inside, there’s microfibre front sports seats (in optional Alcantara and leather), embossed head restraints, black roofliner á la Polo GTI, leather steering wheel with ‘R-Line’ badge, gloss black accents and racing-style pedals. Nine colours including the new ‘Fire Spark’ will be available. Volkswagen’s full press release follows.

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According to the latest batch of UK sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT), the supermini segment rose by 17.6% to account for 37.3% of the overall August market. Taking advantage of the downsizing trend, the Polo was still the eighth best-selling car in the UK, with 1467 cars finding new owners. It was a good month for Volkswagen, as the Passat was placed at number seven (1526 units) and the Golf at number four (1995 units). The Polo’s long-standing nemesis the Ford Fiesta was once again the top-seller, with 3213 sales recorded. The Vauxhall Corsa was runner-up with 2901 examples shifted. Despite the upturn in sales of smaller cars, August is expected to be the smallest volume monthly new car market in 2011. In 2010 it accounted for just 2.7% of the market. The new ‘61’ number plate was launched on 1 September.

‘New car registrations in August rose for the first time since June 2010, up 7.3% to 59,346 units. August represents a small share of the new car market and the September new 61-plate registrations will be far more important for vehicle manufacturers and franchised dealers,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘The September new car market is always important for the UK motor industry, accounting for around 17% of the full year’s registrations. Consumers are nervous about the future, but with unprecedented improvements in fuel economy, competitive finance offers and a wide variety of new models, buyers will find there is something to suit every taste and pocket.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars in August 2011 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 3213 (61,551, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 2901 (46,620, 3rd)
3 Ford Focus: 2858 (52,918, 2nd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 1995 (39,385, 4th)
5 BMW 3 Series: 1739 (27,298, 8th)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 1613 (38,580, 5th)
7 Volkswagen Passat: 1526
8 Volkswagen Polo: 1467 (28,048, 7th)
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1312 (24,695, 9th)
10 Audi A3: 1125

(The 2011 year-to-date top 10 best-sellers absent from August’s sales figures are the Vauxhall Insignia, selling 31,063 units in 6th place and the Peugeot 207, selling 21,402 units in 10th place.)

It’s good news once again for Volkswagen South Africa. The biggest-selling car for August 2011 was once again the Polo Vivo, closely followed by the Polo 6R. The entry-level Polo Vivo/Polo Vivo Sedan range sold 3322 units last month, while 2343 fifth-generation Polo hatchbacks and recently-launched Polo Sedans found South African homes. Both sets of sales figures are a rise on those released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) for July 2011. Additionally, a total of 8920 fifth-generation Polos were exported to markets around the world, again up on last month’s tallies.

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 R104,065 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo is also available as both a three and five-door hatchback as well as a four-door saloon (Polo Sedan) and was voted European and World Car of the Year in 2010.

The latest new vehicle sales statistics have been released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), and it’s a familiar story for Volkswagen South Africa. The biggest-selling car for July 2011 was once again the Polo Vivo, closely followed by the Polo 6R. The entry-level Polo Vivo/Polo Vivo Sedan range sold 3142 units last month, while 2111 fifth-generation Polo hatchbacks and recently-launched Polo Sedans found South African homes. In addition, a total of 7876 fifth-generation Polos were exported to markets around the world. NAAMSA reported that all segments of the market had improved when compared to the same period last year, with an increase of 10.5% on domestic sales, while exports have risen 8.1%.

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 R104,065 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo is also available as both a three and five-door hatchback in addition to the Polo Sedan.