PoloDriver

Continuing its sales success, the Volkswagen Polo has once again been named as one of the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK. According to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) for June 2016, the Polo was the eighth most popular car in the UK, with 4930 cars finding new homes. For the year-to-date, the Polo is at number seven, with 28,000 examples registered.

A popular choice
Although it is one place below its May 2016 position, it shows that despite the basic shape of the current fifth-generation Polo being unveiled in 2009, seven years on it is still proving a popular choice. This is borne out by the evergreen VW being named as the 2016 Supermini of the Year in the recent Auto Express Awards.

The Polo’s larger brother the Golf took fourth place in both the June and year-to-date figures, while the seemingly immovable Ford Fiesta was once again at the top of the charts with 11,357 cars registered last month and a staggering 68,833 units for the year-to-date. As the small Ford celebrates its 40th birthday in 2016, it remains the premier and most popular choice for the UK as a whole.

Best half-year performance
Other SMMT figures point to a 3.2 per cent rise in demand for new cars between January and June 2016, with 1,420,636 registrations – the best half-year performance ever recorded. Overall demand in June fell, though, with a small 0.8 per cent dip. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during June 2016 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 11,357 (68,833, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 8837 (42,356, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 6833 (37,715, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 6775 (37,577, 4th)
5 Mini: 6284 (24,293, 8th)
6 Nissan Qashqai: 5832 (33,656, 5th)
7 Vauxhall Astra: 5628 (28,406, 6th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 4930 (28,000, 7th)
9 Vauxhall Mokka: 4356 (22,462, 9th)
9 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 4112 (22,069, 10th)

The Volkswagen Polo has been crowned the best supermini in the UK by motoring magazine Auto Express. It’s the second consecutive year the small Volkswagen has topped the small car category, the refreshed and efficient engine line-up helping it pick up the 2016 prize.

‘Huge breadth of appeal’
Alison Jones, Director of Volkswagen UK, said: ‘The Polo neatly typifies all the positives of the Volkswagen offering in the UK. It has a huge breadth of appeal thanks to a broad choice of models and engines, great styling and that class-leading quality for which Volkswagen is rightly renowned.’

Auto Express Editor-in-chief Steve Fowler said: ‘A 2015 facelift kept the Volkswagen Polo looking fresh and boosted its charm, and this year the German brand has added even more efficient engine options that see the supermini once again edge ahead of its rivals.

‘The Polo shares Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with the Up city car, but there’s also a more potent turbo version available. Even the lower-powered model is sufficient, thrumming along at motorway speeds with plenty of refinement.’ The four-cylinder turbocharged 1.2-litre TSI version was also mooted as one of the picks of the range.

‘Extra interest’
The new Polo R-Line which adds Volkswagen ‘R’-type styling flourishes was also praised by Fowler: ‘Volkswagen released a sporty new R-Line model this year to address one of the Polo’s biggest downfalls, which ensured the supermini can no longer be accused of looking a little safe or lacking style. The R-Line bodykit and bigger wheels add some extra interest to the car’s solid surfaces and sharp creases.

‘It looks like a smaller Golf – which is no bad thing – and that’s reinforced from the moment you shut the door with a solid thunk. The cabin is very well built and feels genuinely upmarket. There’s a wider range of petrol and diesel engines available, too, with a larger, more powerful 1.4 TSI. Not only is this hotter, but it also features clever tech like cylinder deactivation to improve efficiency when cruising.

‘Eco champion’
The new petrol-powered Polo BlueMotion 1.0 TSI was also noted for its economy and low emissions: ‘If you’re after an eco champion, VW’s high-efficiency BlueMotion technology has been applied to the already frugal 1.0 TSI, with impressive claimed fuel economy of 68.9mpg and 94g/km CO2 emissions,’ said Fowler.

We’ll admit to being surprised that the fifth-generation is still winning prizes, seven years into its production run. A new model is mooted for 2017/2018 and will be based on the smallest version of the new Volkswagen ‘MQB’ modular platform architecture. The current Polo range is priced from £11,525 OTR. For more details, visit the Volkswagen UK website.

Have a 217bhp limited edition 2013 Polo R WRC and think it needs more power? That’s handy, because Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Solingen GmbH has the answer, with a rally car-beating power boost. A 10,200 euro kit sees the German tuner lift power of the ultra rare Polo R WRC ‘Street’ boosted to 417bhp, that’s around 200bhp more than the original car.

417bhp, 480Nm, 174mph
The 2.0-litre engine of the Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Polo R WRC has boosted torque of 480Nm/354lb ft (up from 350Nm/258lb ft), a 3.15kg/bhp power to weight ratio as well as a ‘hellish’ maximum speed of 174mph. In a – two-wheel, front-wheel drive – Polo! We’re not even sure we’d want to try that one. This road-going Polo has around 100bhp more than its current motorsport cousin.

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

An upgraded turbocharger, an adjusted air intake and six-bar fuel pump are what has made the power rise, along with a ‘Y-pipe’ with sports catalyst and stainless steel sports exhaust system (with valve control), a modified intercooler, as well as optimisations to the car’s software itself. All components have been carefully selected to ensure high functional reliability and longevity.

High performance air filter
The stylishly graphic-laden Wimmer demo car also gains from a high-performance K&N air filter (94 euro), 8 x 17” Oz rims and 215/40-17 rubber (1990 euro) and a KW coilover suspension system (1699 euro). Think you’ve got what it takes to handle one of the most powerful road-going Polos we’ve ever seen? (Along with 13,983 euro and the rare ‘donor’ car in the first place.) Then visit wimmer-rst.de and tick some fast kit Polo boxes.

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

2016 Wimmer Rennsporttechnik Volkswagen Polo R WRC

Once again, the Volkswagen Polo has made the top 10 best-selling cars in the UK sales chart. According to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) for May 2016, the Polo was the seventh most popular car in the UK, with 3845 cars registered. With 23,070 examples registered, the Polo is the sixth best-selling car for the year-to-date.

Rise in popularity
In a repeat of April, the Golf took the second place spot behind the Ford Fiesta, which has seen registrations top a staggering 52,476 units for the year-to-date. Interestingly, despite all the negative publicity, diesel cars saw a five per cent rise in popularity during May 2016, while petrol-engined cars saw a 0.6 per cent decline.

The UK new car market as a whole saw a 2.5 per cent increase in May, with 203,585 vehicles registered, the highest May total since 2002. In total, 1,164,870 cars have so far been registered in 2016. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during May 2016 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 8236 (52,476, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 5729 (30,802, 4th)
3 Ford Focus: 5664 (31,882, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4880 (33,519, 2nd)
5 Nissan Qashqai: 4684 (27,824, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 3882 (22,778, 7th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 3845 (23,070, 6th)
8 Mini: 3780 (18,009, 10th)
9 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3566
10 BMW 3 Series: 3454

(The 2016 top 10 best-selling cars absent from last month’s sales figures are the eighth-placed Audi A3 and the ninth-placed Vauxhall Mokka with 19,147 and 18,106 cars registered respectively.)

Following in the tyre tracks of the Polo GT Sedan announced by Volkswagen Russia this week, Volkswagen India has unveiled new special editions of its Polo hatchback and Vento saloon models. The Polo Select and Vento Celeste special editions offer an enhanced appearance and upgraded equipment count when compared to the Highline models on which they are based.

Extra kit
Similar to last year’s Polo Exquisite and Vento Highline Plus limited edition cars, the Polo Select and Vento Celeste can be specified with a distinctive black roof wrap, black side mouldings, and fake carbonfibre mirror caps. The Polo Select also offers a roof spoiler and sill plates for all four of its doors, while the Vento Celeste can count a rear boot spoiler and a Blaupunkt audio/navigation system among its extra kit.

Inside, both cars receive a carbonfibre-look centre console, branded seat covers, detachable sun blinds, as well as floor mats. The latest Indian special editions are fitted with the same engine and transmission choices as the regular Polo and Vento. The Polo Select comes with 74bhp 1.2-litre petrol or an 89bhp 1.5-litre TDI engines, while the Vento Celeste is only fitted with the 1.5-litre TDI mated to a seven-speed DSG gearbox.

[Source: Indian Autos Blog]