PoloDriver

The hottest-ever Polo, the R WRC, Volkswagen’s road-going version of its winning World Rally Championship rally car, has been crowned the 2013 Sports Car (Small Car category) by Sport Auto magazine. The 2.0-litre, 217bhp hot hatchback will see its first deliveries start in September. The Polo R WRC road car also features a six-speed manual gearbox (as opposed to the seven-speed DSG in the Polo GTI), 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds, alcantara-trimmed sport seats, 18-inch ‘Cagliari’ alloy wheels, and a white, blue, and grey colour scheme. Prices start at €33,900. UK availability has yet to be confirmed.

Rallycross team Marklund Motorsport has signed 34 year-old Swedish DTM driver Mattias Ekström for the second 600bhp Polo R Supercar seat at ESPN X Games Munich, and the sixth round of the 2013 FIA RallycrossRX Championship in Höljes, Sweden. The three-times Race of Champions winner will join 20 year-old Anton Marklund, currently fifth in the 2013 RallycrossRX drivers’ championship, who has been getting Ekström up to speed with the car during testing sessions this week in Estering, Germany.

‘It’s an extreme car with incredible power considering it’s so small. I have never driven a car quite like this before. It’s enjoyable but a big challenge, which I like, but I have to learn the driving style quickly and find a set-up that suits me in a very short time as the competition is very hard and very aggressive. I’m really looking forward to doing these events as my father was a rallycross driver,’ said Ekström during the Estering testing sessions. Ekström has enjoyed a successful motorsport career from his debut in the Swedish Touring Car Championship in 1997. He won the series in 1999, and has since been driving in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM), winning the famed series twice.

The X Games Munich are in Munich, Germany on 29-30 June, and the sixth round of the FIA RallycrossRX Championship takes place in Höljes, Sweden on 6-7 July.

[Images: Getty Images/Martin Rose] 

Volkswagen Motorsport and Sébastien Ogier proved an unbeatable combination once again, as the team and driver took victory at Rally Italy last weekend. Ogier, along with co-driver Julien Ingrassia now dominate the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship drivers’ leaderboard 64 points ahead of their in-house rivals Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila, while Volkswagen Motorsport sits atop the manufacturers’ standings. Ogier and Ingrassia triumphed in Sardinia over Ford driver Thierry Neuville, while Volkswagen Motorsport team-mates Latvala and Anttila took the final spot on the podium. Andreas Mikkelsen and Mikko Markkula meanwhile, retired from the action early, due to suspension damage.

Ogier and Ingrassia set seven fastest times out of 16 special stages, with Latvala and Anttila taking a further six. Ogier dominated the field from day one, and kept up his pace – but at the same time being easy on his tyres – resulting in his fourth win of the season. ‘It feels fantastic to be back on top of the podium again! I’m delighted – the team did a fantastic job and the Polo ran like a dream all weekend. We now have a very comfortable lead in the Drivers’ Championship rankings. The rally was incredibly demanding physically, due to the high temperatures. On the second day in particular, you came close to your limits and you easily lost three to four litres of fluid. My tyre-friendly driving style was no doubt one of the reasons for my victory. I was especially pleased to once again win the Power Stage. I had a tough fight on my hands with Thierry Neuville, who was incredibly fast,’ said an ecstatic Ogier.

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The 178bhp supercharged and turbocharged Polo GTI has recently seen price revisions for the Malaysian market. Launched in October 2011 in the RM135,000 price bracket, the flagship small VW’s ticket rose to RM1666,888-RM169,888 (three and five-door models respectively) in two years. Volkswagen Malaysia put the expensive price down to factors influenced by the ‘authorities’. But the good news is that, while the smallest current model to wear the GTI badge isn’t still as affordable as its initial 2011 price, it is now cheaper than before. Now priced at RM151,888 for the three-door and RM154,888 for the five-door, Volkswagen Malaysia has recently launched an aggressive advertising campaign highlighting the price reduction.

[Source: Autogridz]

The Polo GT TSI has recently been introduced to the Indian market, and now heads Volkswagen’s Polo 6R range in the country. Until the GT TSI’s arrival, the highest-performing Polo was powered by a 74bhp, 1.2-litre engine. The GT TSI meanwhile, packs a 104bhp punch, thanks to its turbocharged 1.2-litre engine, as seen in the UK’s Polo SEL. To herald the new car’s appearance, is this 45-second TV commercial, where a boy’s father is seen as ‘Superdad’, performing all sorts of seemingly mini-miracles. The spot plays on the GT TSI’s increased performance (its main selling aspect) to mildly humourous effect, tying in with the ‘Power beyond the ordinary’ tagline. The Polo GT TSI is priced at Rs 7.99 lakhs ex-showroom, Delhi, and includes features such as external ‘GT’ badging, 15” ‘Estrada’ alloy wheels, and a standard seven-speed DSG gearbox.