PoloDriver

The fifth-generation Polo and its saloon counterpart the Vento, have proved popular in the emerging Indian car market, with both models currently experiencing 2-3 month waiting lists. Volkswagen plans to increase production to cope with the larger than expected demand for the cars, as Volkswagen Group Sales India (Passenger Cars) Director, Neeraj Garg explained: ‘Presently, we have at least two to three months of waiting period for the Polo and Vento. We are ramping-up capacity at our Chakan facility in Maharashtra to meet demand.

‘We have started a second shift to scale-up production to meet the high demand for the Polo and Vento. We are gradually ramping-up production, but not rapidly, as we do not want to compromise on quality,’ Garg continued. In November 2010 Volkswagen sold 4613 Polo and Vento vehicles and sales have already reached 26,000 total units for January to November 2010. The German company expects to achieve the full annual production capacity of 1.1 lakh units at the Chakan factory by the end of 2011, and currently has 61 retailers in India.

The current issue of What Car? magazine carries a mega 13-page group test of premium superminis to mark the UK launch of the Audi A1. Tested in 1.4 TFSI Sport trim, it’s pitted against in-house rival, the Polo (on which it’s based and represented here in top flight SEL trim), the Alfa Romeo Mito 1.4 Multiair TB 135 Lusso and the Mini Cooper 1.6. The magazine uses the same 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI-engined press car we drove back in June (pictured above) for the test, and although the Polo gives away 16bhp to the Audi, it beats its cousin on price, pegged at £14,710 for the three-door car, against the A1’s £15,670 with the same amount of openings. Both cars score the same for average miles per gallon, range and CO2, so it really is a case of which model you prefer. To find out which car wins, buy a copy of the January 2011 issue of What Car?, on sale until 16 December.

To read PoloDriver’s first drive of the Polo SEL 1.2 TSI, click here. The third of our special digital ‘mini-magazines’, check out the PoloDriver bookshelf for our previous two titles.

The Polo has added yet another prize to its Australian trophy cabinet, as Australia’s Best Car Awards 2010 named the Polo 66TDI the ‘Best Light Car Over $20,000’ at a ceremony in Sydney. Juries from both Carsguide and Drive have handed the Polo the Car of the Year 2010 award in their respective competitions last week. According to Australia’s Best Cars, the 89bhp Volkswagen Polo was a standout when it came to performance as well as smoothness and quietness, achieving 10 out of 10. ‘At our test facility the Polo proved to have the most responsive drivetrain of the trio,’ said Mark Borlace, Australia’s Best Cars Chief Judge.

Impressed, Borlace continued: ‘Volkswagen did well with the Polo winning the “Light Car Over $20,000” category and it was unlucky not to win both of the light car categories.’ Anke Koeckler, Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director, expressed her delight at collecting these highly regarded awards: ‘After our very successful award season in 2009, we are particularly pleased to have repeated this success again in 2010,’ she said. ‘We obviously continue to hit the mark with our new models and in particular, the Polo has been embraced as another class leading product.’

‘Australia’s Best Car Awards’ are in their eleventh year as a co-operation between the seven State and Territory based car clubs of Australia. This is Australia’s most comprehensive and independent consumer focused vehicle testing and award programme. Alongside the Polo, the Volkswagen Tiguan 103TDI also took out a category win for ‘Best SUV Under $40,000’, while the Volkswagen Jetta 103TDI was awarded a trophy as ‘Best Medium Car Under $50,000’. The Jetta convinced Borlace with its features: ‘The judges were surprised that a model late in its life still had the right combination to win outright and we look forward to seeing the new model.’

[Image: Australia’s Best Cars]

After a two-month absence, the Polo is back in the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars list, appearing at number eight with 3421 units sold. The latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that UK registrations fell by 11.5% in November 2010 to 139,875 units, but the market is still performing ahead of motor industry forecasts and is up 14.0% compared with the same period last year. The unstoppable Ford Fiesta once again topped November’s list, although the SMMT reports that demand for superminis has weakened since the scrappage scheme.

‘New car registrations fell by less than expected in November with demand from the fleet sector helping to offset the market re-balancing following the end of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme. Registrations are expected to fall again next month, but demand may benefit from motorists looking to avoid the January VAT rise. This factor, coupled with the strength of the first half of 2010, means year-end volumes are expected to lift to over 2.03 million units, 2% up from 2009,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for November 2010 and the year-to-date (total sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6488 units (98,453, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 5537 units (73,973, 3rd)
3 Volkswagen Golf: 5220 units (54,849, 4th)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 4700 units (75,276, 2nd)
5 Vauxhall Insignia: 3915 units
6 BMW 3 Series: 3890 units (39,546, 8th)
7 Vauxhall Corsa: 3684 units (72,654, 4th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 3421 units (41,793, 6th)
9 Peugeot 207: 3086 units (40,056, 7th)
10 Nissan Qashqai: 2555 units (36,207, 10th)

(The 2010 year-to-date best-seller absent from November’s sales figures was the Mini selling 37,647 units in 9th place.)

We think we might have uncovered the reason why some prospective owners of the latest version of the Polo GTI in the UK might be experiencing delivery delays. The car has just gone on sale in right-hand drive Australia, too, most probably adding pressure to delivery estimates. Like the Brits, they like their hatches hot (or at least moderately piping) down under, and the first reviews that have come in from the Australian motoring journos certainly make for encouraging reading. The car was launched to power-hungry Polo enthusiasts at the Australian International Motor Show 2010 in Sydney.

Available from $27,790 for the three-door model and $28,990 for the five-door, Drive states that: ‘The levels of grip demonstrated by the GTI through some of the tightest bends in the country was remarkable. It felt tied down and level at speed through snaking bends, and easily liveable on more open stretches of road. The steering is well-weighted, offers plenty of feedback, and is quick and responsive.’ Carsguide was equally enthusiastic: ‘The handling is exquisite – one of the reasons the Polo won COTY – and tied down even more in the GTI that sits 15mm lower and rides on wider, lower profile rubber,’ its tester commented.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, the latest version of the Polo GTI uses a 1.4-litre engine with both a supercharger and a turbocharger to boost power to 178bhp (132kW) and torque to 250Nm – all from a car weighing 1189kg. The 0-62mph (0-100km/h) dash is dispensed with in 6.9 seconds and standard equipment includes 17-inch ‘Denver’ alloy wheels, honeycomb grille, rear spoiler, twin exhausts, front fog lights and a seven-speed DSG gearbox (no manual option is available). Polo GTI deliveries have finally started in the UK, with the first owners receiving their cars, while some Volkswagen retailers have demonstration models in stock. Australian Polo GTI fans can find out more here.