PoloDriver

Following its team performance at Rally Mexico earlier this year, Volkswagen Motorsport has been back in South America testing the Polo R WRC ahead of the full-scale assault on the 2013 World Rally Championship which starts in January at Rallye Monte Carlo. Both Sébastien Ogier and second signing Jari-Matti Latvala have been putting the car through its paces, although a collision with a member of the public’s car when Latvala and the Polo were returning to a service area no doubt cast a cloud over proceedings. The car still looks competitive, though, and we’ve not got long to wait to find out if that’s the case.

[Video source: rutarally.com]

While the Volkswagen Golf was once again Europe’s best-selling car in October according to the latest figures released by Jato Dynamics, the Polo still posted an entry in the top five of the sales chart. Last month, 22,817 Polos were sold, putting in fifth place, and making it the fourth best-selling small car behind the Ford Fiesta, the new Peugeot 208 and Renault Clio. However, when year-to-date sales are taken into account, the Polo trumps them all bar the Fiesta, and sits in third place – the Golf is 2012’s best-selling car in Europe with one month to go. The German company also had two more reasons to celebrate – its Tiguan SUV and Up city car saw improved sales when compared to the same period last year. New car sales in Europe fell again last month, but at a slower rate. Europe’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during October 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 33,156 (373,036, 1st)
2 Ford Fiesta: 26,145 (264,122, 2nd)
3 Peugeot 208: 23,352
4 Renault Clio: 23,301 (203,388, 6th)
5 Volkswagen Polo: 22,817 (247,519, 3rd)
6 Opel/Vauxhall Corsa: 18,649 (229,563, 4th)
7 Opel/Vauxhall Astra: 18,079 (200,865, 7th)
8 Ford Focus: 17,779 (207,715, 5th)
9 Fiat Panda: 17,377
10 Nissan Qashqai: 16,720 (177,795, 8th)

(The 2012 year-to-date Europe top 10 best-selling cars absent from October’s sales figures are the Renault Megane in ninth place with 169,356 units sold and the Volkswagen Passat, selling 166,297 units in tenth place.)

A Nimbus Grey Polo features in the latest promotional video for Volkswagen Official Accessories. Promoting the company’s winter add-ons and extras, the accessorised five-door 6R is seen spearing up snow-covered mountain passes and hurtling back down them again, with the emphasis on the amount of driving fun to be had when fitting Volkswagen Official Accessories. Although the film is aimed at the German market, Volkswagen UK offers its own range of accessories, which can be found in the official brochure. Available to book now, it’s also offering a winter check for £25 at a Volkswagen Retailer until 13 March 2013, which includes brake, lights and tyres check, visual look at levels for oil and washer fluids, and an alternator and battery performance report.

The popular CrossPolo is now available with an ‘Urban Ice’ package, similar to the CrossPolo ‘Urban White’ available in Europe. The special Urban Ice package features Oryx White pearlescent paint, black roof rails, privavcy-tinted rear windows, gloss black side mirrors and 17-inch Oryx White ‘Budapest’ five-spoke alloy wheels. A silver-painted centre console, black headlining, grey carpet and handbrake gaiter stitching, and heated Alcantara/Meteor sports seats characterise the interior. The price for the Urban White package is R9800 on top of the standard cost of the CrossPolo. Standard retail prices (VAT and Emissions Tax included) for the CrossPolo are as follows:

CrossPolo 1.6 77kW: R214,200
CrossPolo 1.6 TDI 77kW: R238,500

Volkswagen India has recently refreshed its popular Polo and Vento models, adding specification enhancements to boost sales. Externally, the new cars are identified by black inserts in the headlamps, and new alloy wheels on Highline variants. Inside, there is now a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, leather-trimmed gear knob and handbrake lever, music system with USB connection, and Bluetooth connectivity. Unique to the notchbackVento is a new satellite navigation system with rear-view camera. All engine options remain the same as before.

Prices for the refreshed Polo and Vento are cheaper at the top end (‘Highline’) of the range, while mid-spec ‘Comfortline’ and base-spec ‘Trendline’ cars are a little more expensive. Full prices for the Indian 2013 Polo and Vento models are as follows (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi):

POLO
Petrol
Trendline: Rs 4.89 lakh
Comfortline: Rs 5.38 lakh
Highline: Rs 5.84 lakh

Diesel
Trendline: Rs 5.99 lakh
Comfortline: Rs 6.48 lakh
Highline: Rs 6.94 lakh

VENTO
Petrol
Trendline: Rs 7.29 lakh
Comfortline: Rs 7.75 lakh
Highline: Rs 8.74 lakh
Automatic: Rs 9.74 lakh

Diesel
Trendline: Rs 8.44 lakh
Comfortline: Rs 8.90 lakh
Highline: Rs 9.89 lakh