PoloDriver

The latest version of the car that started the eco-car revolution, the Polo BlueMotion, has been tested along with 16 other eco-minded new cars in Auto Express’ round-up of sub-100g/km CO2 models. The UK motoring weekly has run the rule over all the road tax exempt eco contenders and spec tables include residual value forecasts, Euro NCAP crash test results and claimed economy figures. The Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDI is compared with class rivals such as the Citroen C3 1.6 16v HDi Airdream+, Citroen DS3 DStyle 99g, Ford Fiesta Econetic 1.6 TDCi DPF, Peugeot 207 Economique 1.6 HDi, Renault Clio Extreme eco2 dCi 86 and Vauxhall Corsa S 1.3 CDTi ecoFLEX, as well as in-house sparring partner, the SEAT Ibiza SC 1.2 TDI Ecomotive. The sub-100g/km green car group test is in issue 1129 of Auto Express on sale now. Click here to read online.

Volkswagen premiered a number of new models at the Moscow International Automobile Salon 2010 when the doors opened yesterday. One of the star exhibits on the German giant’s stand is the latest notchback Polo, the sedan. It’s the first public viewing for the handsome saloon version of the new Polo, which, the company say, was ‘specially-designed for Russia’ (we’ll ignore the fact that it’s also on sale in India as the Vento, then). Tested in extreme weather conditions to cope with the harsh Russian winters, the car has a ‘cold climatic zone package’, and suspension adapted for badly-surfaced roads. The Polo sedan is based on the fifth-generation Polo hatchback launched in 2009, and is powered by a 1.6-litre 104bhp engine. Prices start at 399,000 rubles for the Trendline model. Manufactured locally in Kaluga, the Russian factory also produces the Golf, Jetta, Passat, Passat CC, Tiguan and Touareg.

The full and official Volkswagen Polo sedan press release from June 2010 and a gallery of pictures follows.

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The fifth-generation Polo and new Polo Vivo are among the jewels in Volkswagen South Africa’s 2010 range of cars, so it’s only right that they are the stars in the latest issue of the company’s customer publication, Volkswagen magazine. From the New Polo’s World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year awards to the technologically innovative Polo Skylab launch event, there’s plenty of coverage of the latest model, and even a behind the scenes story from the ‘Expect Big Things’ snow in Cape Town TV commercial (we covered it first, though, of course). There is a report on the Polo Vivo’s entertainment extravaganza launch party at the Sun City Superbowl – where international music acts performed with South Africa’s finest homegrown musicians – as well as the story behind the new top-selling, unique-to-South-Africa Volkswagen entry-level model. Read all this and more in the latest issue of Volkswagen magazine, available to download here.

The countdown to the eagerly-awaited Polo GTI continues. While the flurry of left-hooker first drives has died down, there are still initial impressions to be found, most obviously online. Yes, the date of this first drive may be 10 June, but this test is still significant. Motor Trend is a well-respected US motoring title and this piece is penned by well-respected – and well-connected it would seem – UK auto scribe, Paul Horrell. The Polo isn’t currently sold Stateside, and rumours still persist of a forthcoming introduction there. However, recent reports state that any possible US-market ‘Hello’ may now not happen, but as potential buyers pestered VW to import the Series 5 1.8T Polo GTI of 2006, they’ll arguably like this new and more powerful version even more. Head over to Motor Trend and see if the smaller Polo GTI can cut it with its larger cousins, the Golf and Scirocco Rs.

In a story detailing Volkswagen’s plans for the Eos and other convertible models, UK auto title Car today reports that an open-air Polo is ‘still-tentative’ and could be ‘built by Karmann, starting in 2012.’ In a fresh flurry of reports, the buyout of Karmann’s facilities by VW could signal the revival of a convertible Polo. Of course, we’ve been here before, with the Polo Cabrio Concept of 2007 seen here. Actually built by Karmann as a one-off, the two-door, GTI-powered ‘study’, the Polo CC featured a soft top which included a glass sliding roof, an illuminated headliner using four small electroluminescent panels, foldable rear seats and a wide-opening boot. Could the proper open-air Polo idea be about to return?