PoloDriver

The Polo once again held onto its place in the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during September. In ninth place last month, the Polo sold 7291 units according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). An 8.2 per cent rise on figures published for the same month last year, 359,612 ‘62’-plate cars were registered in September. The month is traditionally the second busiest of the month after March. Once again, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car of the month, and the year-to-date.

‘The important September plate change market outperformed expectations with new car registrations increasing on last year,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Although the economic outlook remains challenging, we are starting to see a tentative return of consumer confidence as motorists explore new products and the latest fuel-efficient technologies.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during September 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 18,651 (88,747, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 17,089 (72,475, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 13,837 (64,251, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 9864 (47,125, 5th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 9270 (50,142, 4th)
6 Mercedes C-Class: 7948 (29,772 9th)
7 BMW 3 Series: 7726 (34,340, 7th)
8 Nissan Qashqai: 7471 (35,865 6th)
9 Volkswagen Polo: 7291 (33,987, 8th)
10 Peugeot 208: 6741

The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling car absent from September’s sales figures is the Fiat 500 selling 26,480 units in tenth place.)

For the third consecutive month, the Polo Vivo is the top-selling car in South Africa. The evergreen entry-level best-seller sold 3386 units in September 2012, while the fifth-generation Polo was again in the runner-up position, with 2383 units finding homes. Volkswagen South Africa is the market leader in the country’s passenger car market for the ninth consecutive month, selling 8761 units last month, equating to a 22.2 per cent market share.

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 R107,200 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

It’s good news for the Polo, as sales continue to hold firm enabling the evergreen small Volkswagen to remain in the UK’s best-selling car top 10 chart. With sales of 2863 units sold last month, the Polo sits in sixth place, in the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) list, rising two places when compared to July’s chart. The Ford Fiesta was once again the best-selling supermini and the best-selling car in the UK during August 2012.

Total new car registrations grew 0.1 per cent in August to 59,433 units, and demand for small and dual-purpose cars continued to grow strongly. ‘New car registrations remained broadly stable in August, a month which traditionally represents a small share of the new car market as motorists anticipate the arrival of the new 62-plate change in September,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The top 10 best-selling passenger cars in the UK during August 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 2993 (70,096, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 2430 (55,386, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 2089 (50,684, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 1933 (40,872, 4th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 1567 (37,261, 5th)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 1484 (26,696, 7th)
7 Audi A3: 1243
8 Nissan Qashqai: 1238 (28,394, 6th)
9 Vauxhall Zafira: 1164
10 BMW 1 Series: 1136 (20,481, 10th)

(The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling cars absent from August’s sales figures are the BMW 3 Series selling 26,614 units in eighth place, the Mercedes C-Class selling 21,824 units in ninth place, and the Vauxhall Insignia in tenth place, with 21,148 units sold.)

Volkswagen Group South Africa recorded its highest vehicle sales in 2012 last month, maintaining its leadership position in the country’s new passenger car sales chart. Total sales of 9135 units recorded the company’s best monthly sales in 2012 and highest ever sales in August since 2007. The Polo Vivo was once again key to this success, with the Series 4-based Polo entry-level model selling 3714 units, its best monthly figure since its launch in March 2010. It was also the best-selling car on the South African market. The fifth-generation Polo 6R wasn’t too far behind, taking 2355 unit sales, putting it in second place overall.

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 R107,200 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

Volkswagen Group South Africa is celebrating once more, as the Polo Vivo was again named the top-selling car in South Africa. With 3499 units sold in July 2012, the Polo Vivo led the market – a familiar story. The latest Polo 6R was also popular, with 2459 examples sold. The Volkswagen Group South Africa also maintained its top position in the new passenger car market, reporting total sales of 8689 units last month. During July 2012, a total of 37,844 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa is pleased to start the second half of 2012 in a top position in the passenger car market. Polo Vivo continues to be our top performer and in July it was once again the best-selling brand in South. Polo was the second best-seller in the passenger car market. Both brands have been market leaders in the A0 segment for the past seven months in spite of the introduction of many new models in the most competitive car sales segment in the country,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director, Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. The Polo Vivo was the top-selling brand in the South African passenger car market from January to June 2012 with 16,139 units.

In related news, Volkswagen South Africa’s engine plant in Uitenhage has received an export order for 12,000 engines from China. The factory is scheduled to produce 107,200 engines in 2012, of which 50,200 engines are for the locally-built Polo 6R and Polo Vivo models. Of the remainder, 57,000 engines will be produced for three export markets, namely India, Mexico and China – Volkswagen Group South Africa’s biggest engine export market.

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 R106,100 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R153,200 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.