PoloDriver

While the first deliveries of the new Polo GTI are imminent, there are other less obvious models in the fifth-generation Polo range that deserve a look if you’re not after the 178bhp performance version. Topping the mainstream range is the 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI. An out and out roadburner it might not be, but it is swift, comfortable and as refined as many larger cars, but with a sporty edge. At the opposite end of the market, the latest Polo BlueMotion is powered by an economical 1.2-litre 74bhp engine and fitted with an aerodynamic body kit and a whole host of other eco-minded mods, enabling it to post a claimed 80.7mpg figure on the combined cycle. We’ve just updated our test drive report from July 2010 on these two £14,500 models; click on the magazine graphic below or click here to find out what we thought.

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Volkswagen has recently had to close its Uitenhage plant due to industrial action by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) in the component industry. The closure at the start of the month has hit right-hand drive export Polo production (including early builds of the new GTI model, with some prospective UK Polo owners reporting delays in their cars arriving). While there was no strike at the plant itself, the company was bracing itself for a ‘substantial loss of volume’ from the fall in production numbers of export and local market Polos, as well as a decline in output of the highly successful South African-only Polo Vivo.

‘The company deeply regrets this unavoidable situation, particularly as the company was starting to recover from an eight-day motor manufacturing industry-wide strike, which also severely impacted customer deliveries’, Volkswagen said when asked about the situation. We suggest that if you have a five-door UK-bound Polo on order, keep up to date with your Volkswagen retailer for news of its arrival. Three-door Polo UK deliveries shouldn’t be affected, as these cars are manufactured at the Volkswagen Group’s Pamplona plant in Spain.

Following on from its junior hot hatch group test starring role in the July 2010 issue of CAR, the new Polo GTI has recently been given a full workout for the magazine’s website. The arrival of the 178bhp performance-orientated Polo seems to have been delayed with extended build dates reported, as well as a shortage of dealer stock, but it should hopefully be worth the wait. CAR reports that although ‘Volkswagen’s new Polo GTI is a very competent car, its rivals are raucous and delightful, or chic and stylish, and the VW seems to ignore both camps and offer something more refined.’ So it may be no firecracker like the red hot Renaultsport Clio 200 (or the even more extreme and on-edge ‘Cup’ versions), but what’s wrong with that? Volkswagen GTIs have always offered refinement and classless practically with a sporting edge, and the latest Polo GTI, at first glance at least, seems to continue that tradition.

According to the latest batch of figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), UK new car registrations fell again in August, as widely predicted. However, ahead of the ‘60’ plate change, the market remains up 13.2% over the first eight months of 2009, but with figures down 17.5 % last month, we’re pleased to report that the Polo remains in the UK’s top-sellers list. In ninth place, the fifth-generation car charts at the same position as in July, selling 1193 units. The Polo’s long-standing rival, the Ford Fiesta continues to be top of the August charts, with 2260 units sold, in what is traditionally the lowest-selling month for new cars due to the 1 September plate change.

‘New car registrations were down 17.5% in August and conditions will remain challenging through the rest of the year,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. ‘The industry enjoyed a better than expected first half of the year and, despite the difficulties, SMMT is forecasting that new car registrations will close just ahead of 2009 figures.’ Diesel cars still outsold petrol models, with 29,111 derv-burners shifted, compared to 25,505 petrol-powered models. Turned into year-to-date figures, the numbers make even more interesting reading; petrol models are still ahead with 709,151 units sold, compared to 576,627 diesel cars.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for August 2010 and the year-to-date (total sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 2260 units (66,863, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 1926 units (54,448, 2nd)
3 Vauxhall Astra: 1906 units (53,449, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 1629 units (51,447, 4th)
5 BMW 3 Series: 1600 units (25,849, 8th)
6 Volkswagen Golf: 1511 units (37,171, 5th)
7 Nissan Qashqai: 1456 units (24,836, 10th)
8 Vauxhall Insignia: 1193 units
9 Volkswagen Polo: 1193 units (30,574, 6th)
10 Audi A3: 1037 units

(The 2010 year-to-date best-sellers absent from August’s sales figures were the Peugeot 207 selling 27,880 units in 7th place, and the Mini with 25,189 units, placing it 9th overall.)

Last month, as a further marketing exercise for the new Polo GTI, Volkswagen exhibited the car at gamescom, Europe’s largest electronic games show in Cologne. To support the launch, from 18-22 August, visitors could also experience virtual Polo GTI-powered Volkswagen Racing Cup simulators, with the best drivers receiving real-life safety training from VW’s young driver programme. Winners of the awards were announced by Hamburg-based German rapper Samy Deluxe (no, we don’t know who he is either), who is involved in the musical support of the Volkswagen Sound Foundation.

A white Polo GTI was centre stage on the Volkswagen stand in Hall 9, and is the first car to be actively marketed on social networks by the German company. Hitting cyberspace communities only a few weeks ago, the Facebook ‘Fast Lane – Driven by Fun’ campaign is primarily aimed at young drivers, with interactive videos and competitions, to drum up interest in the new performance Polo. Digital eGames are very much now part of Volkswagen’s international marketing arsenal, and the company has its own Facebook electronic games channel at www.facebook.com/volkswagen.egames