PoloDriver

Once again, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo was the top-selling passenger car in South Africa last month. In three and five-door hatchback and four-door sedan (saloon) configurations the Vivo claimed the sales chart top spot with a total of 2933 sales, according to the latest figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). In a repeat of recent months, June 2011 also saw the the fifth-generation Polo do well, coming in second yet again, with 2097 units. A total of 9,219 new Polos were also exported to global markets from Volkswagen South Africa’s factory at Uitenhage.

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 new fifth-generation Polo is also available as both a three and five-door hatchback in addition to the recently-launched four-door booted Polo Sedan.

The latest version of the Volkswagen Polo GTI has scooped Australian car magazine Motor’s fiercely-fought ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ award. According to Motor, the performance Polo was the ‘hands-down performance bargain of the year. We pumped its Bang and Buck scores into our formula for the last five years and it won, every time,’ the judges wrote. ‘When we set up our formula, you were never supposed to be able to buy this much performance for just $27,990,’ the judging team continued.

The annual ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ winner is decided by the competitor’s ability over categories such as dynamics, handling, performance and speed. One of the key attributes in the Polo GTI’s success is the clever 1.4-litre, 178bhp/132kW engine which uses a supercharger to provide boost at lower revs, before a turbocharger kicks in at higher engine speeds. Add a trick seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox to the package, and Volkswagen have clearly created a technology-packed winner.

‘We are pleased the judging team at Motor magazine appreciated the Polo GTI’s all-round potential and obviously its affordable performance,’ said Anke Koeckler, Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director. ‘With the larger Golf GTI winning last year’s Motor “Bang for Your Bucks Award”, the 2011 Polo GTI definitely lives up to the legendary badge with its superior handling properties combined with uncompromising engine responsiveness and impressive safety and economy figures’.

[Image: Motor magazine]

We must admit to being tipped off about this a few weeks back, when a Twitter message asked us if the Polo SE and Moda were to be replaced by a new addition resurrecting Match, a well-used Volkswagen trim level name. Told by a carbroker that this was the case, we couldn’t give the tweet author a truthful reply, but now we can confirm that their source was right – Volkswagen has today ousted the SE and Moda models and ushered in the Match, which replaces them both. Providing £650 of extra equipment, the Match costs £215 less than the outgoing models. Prices start at £11,300.

Combining the most popular features of the outgoing SE and Moda models, exterior highlights of the Match include 15-inch ‘Castille’ alloy wheels, front fog lights and heat-insultating dark-tinted rear windows. Inside, manual air-conditioning, an RCD 310 radio/CD player, multifunction computer and MDI (Multi Device Interface) with iPod connectivity all feature. The Match also boasts electric windows, remote central locking and electrically-adjustable mirrors. Safety features are as the standard Polo; four airbags, ABS and ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) are all part of the specification.

The Polo Match is available with both three and five doors, and is available with a choice of three engines. Two petrol units are offered: a 1.2-litre, 59bhp three-cylinder and a 1.4-litre 84bhp, both allied to a five-speed manual gearbox. The 1.4-litre unit is also available with a seven-speed DSG option. One 1.2-litre 74bhp diesel fills out the range, again fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. The 69bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine from the SE and Moda models has been dropped from the range. Finance deals are also available for the Polo Match, and if the car is bought with a Solutions PCP package, the vehicle also qualifies for one year’s free insurance and three years or 30,000 miles free servicing.

2011 Polo Match: RRP ‘on the road’ prices
1.2-litre 59bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 128g/km, £11,300
1.2-litre 59bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 128g/km, £11,920
1.4-litre 84bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 139g/km, £12,605
1.4-litre 84bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 139g/km, £13,225
1.4-litre 84bhp 3-door 7 spd DSG, 135g/km, £13,865
1.4-litre 84bhp 5-door 7 spd DSG, 135g/km, £14,485
1.2-litre TDI 74bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 102g/km, £13,520
1.2-litre TDI 74bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 102g/km, £14,140

The new Polo Match is available from today – for details see www.volkswagen.co.uk/polo.

The latest group of sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the Polo has slipped out of the monthly top 10 best-selling cars in the UK list for a second month. But, it’s still standing firm at number seven in the 2011 year-to-date registrations chart with 38,597 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is still number one, selling 51,643 examples, while Vauxhall’s Corsa posted a figure of 30,792 units. Last month, registrations of superminis posted their first rise in figures since June 2010. Other notable statistics from the SMMT’s June’s figures show that the Golf was the best-selling diesel model for the first six months of 2011, but was pushed into second place in June 2011 by the Vauxhall Insignia.

In the wider picture, UK new car registrations fell 6.2% last month with a total of 183,125 units sold. The average new car CO2 emissions fell to a record low of 138.9g/km in quarter two, dipping below 140g/km for the first time, down from 144.2g/km in 2010. Supermini registrations enjoyed an improved market share in June, up one percentage point to 36.7%. ‘June new car registrations continued to perform in line with industry expectations with robust demand in the fleet sector and a relatively weak retail market. The balance of demand makes this a tough time for vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2011 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 51,643
2 Ford Focus: 43,825
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 38,597
3 Volkswagen Golf: 33,118
5 Vauxhall Astra: 32,883
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 25,950
7 Volkswagen Polo: 22,897
8 BMW 3 Series: 21,866
9 Nissan Qashqai: 19,992
10 Mini: 18,619

The fifth-generation Polo-based Vento saloon has been on sale in India since summer last year, and both it and the Polo are doing great things for Volkswagen in the country. This 60-second TV spot for the car focuses on the emotional attachment the Volkswagen workers have to the car, because of their ‘craftmanship’ that goes into making it. Reminding us of the ‘Full of lovely stuff‘ cake-themed commercial for the Škoda Fabia, this one’s a little less cute, but it gets the message across. Of course, the Vento is no more ‘crafted’ than any other mass-produced car, but the handsome Polo-derived shape and mini-Jetta looks endow it with a certain appeal. The Vento is available with four doors, and in Trendline and Highline guises, powered by Volkswagen’s latest 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines. Prices start at Rs 6,99,00, and a special ‘IPL Edition’ cricket-themed model is also available with an added kit count.