PoloDriver

As journalists drive the new Polo BlueGT, Volkswagen UK has confirmed availability on the UK market, and released some further details about the car. The Polo BlueGT is coming to the UK, with the order books opening in September. UK deliveries are expected to start by the end of 2012, while prices are projected to begin at £17,500 for the three-door model. The Polo BlueGT borrows the Polo GTI’s rear spoiler, rear bumper, front bumper, and black interior roof lining, while the Polo BlueMotion lends its side sills and windscreen rain channels. The new eco-performance Polo also features a black-painted front grille, black door mirror caps and 17″ ‘Montani’ alloy wheels. The fuel-saving four cylinder EA211 1.4 engine with deactivation technology will become one of the cornerstones of the new MQB platform. Read all about this exciting new chapter in the Polo’s history by clicking our ‘Polo BlueGT’ category tab.

The Polo’s popularity is still strong in the UK, according to the latest sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for June 2012. Slipping a couple of places to end up as the ninth best-selling car in the UK for last month with 3378 units sold, the fifth-generation of Volkswagen’s evergreen supermini makes the 2012 half-year best-sellers list, too, selling 22,349 units from January to June. The Ford Fiesta was both the best-selling car last month and the year so far (9063 and 59,570 units respectively), while the Vauxhall Corsa was runner-up with 8800 and 41,147 examples finding homes. The new car market rose 3.5 per cent to 189,514 units in June 2012.

‘Driven by demand from private buyers, June new car registrations grew 3.5 per cent to push 2012 half-year volumes through the one million mark,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Despite domestic and international economic concerns, UK motorists are responding positively to new products and the latest fuel-efficient technology. The industry has performed better than expected in the first half of the year and we will now need to work hard to sustain growth.’ The top 10 UK best-selling cars in June 2012 and for the year overall (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 9063 (59,570, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 8800 (47,147, 2nd)

3 Ford Focus: 6937 (43,853, 3rd)

4 Volkswagen Golf: 6311 (34,572, 4th)

5 BMW 3 Series: 5830 (23,305, 7th)

6 Vauxhall Astra: 5472 (30,483, 5th)

7 Mini: 4807
8 Nissan Qashqai: 4775 (23,435, 6th)

9 Volkswagen Polo: 3378 (22,349, 8th)

10 Fiat 500: 3324

(The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling car absent from June’s sales figures is the Mercedes C-Class selling 17,617 units in tenth place.)

Once again the Polo Vivo and new Polo have dominated the South African new passenger car market, in sales figures released for June 2012. The sixth consecutive month of doing so, the entry-level Polo Vivo sold 2633 units, while 2326 Polo 6Rs managed to find homes. In addition, Volkswagen Group South Africa reported total sales of 7754 units, equating to a market share of 21.6 per cent. During June 2012, a total of 35,918 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa, an increase of 3.2 per cent when compared to the reported sales in May 2012 and a growth of 14 per cent when compared to the same monthly period in 2011.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa ended the first half of 2012 in a top position in the new passenger car market. In June, Polo Vivo was again the best-selling brand, and Polo was the second best-seller. Both brands maintained their leadership positions in the A0 segment in spite of introduction of new models in the most competitive segment in the country,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director, Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa.

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.

Volkswagen unveiled the latest chapter in the Polo’s story back in March at the Geneva motor show, and now the Polo BlueGT has had its first driving presentation in Amsterdam. Featuring active cylinder management (ACT), it marries the concepts of ‘dynamics’ and ‘fuel efficiency’ together, shutting down two cylinders of the four-cylinder TSI petrol engine at lower speeds – the first such system in a production Volkswagen. Developing 138bhp (103kW) from its 1.4 litres, the Polo BlueGT accelerates to 62mph in 7.9 seconds (1.4 seconds slower than the 178bhp Polo GTI), and when fitted with the optional seven-speed DSG transmission, records a fuel consumption figure of over 60mpg. Emissions are 108g/km, top speed is 130mph.

Active cylinder management turns off cylinders two and three, kicking in between torque outputs of 18-74lb ft and between 1250 and 4000rpm, and the added benefits of direct injection, BlueMotion Technologies (Stop/Start system, battery regeneration, aerodynamic components) all play their part in making the Polo BlueGT close the gap between the turbocharged 1.2-litre model with 104bhp and the twincharged 178bhp Polo GTI. Volkswagen states that when ACT is active, fuel consumption in the EU driving cycle is reduced by about 0.4 l/100km. Distinctive features of the fun yet parsimonious Polo BlueGT include 17-inch ‘Montani’ alloy wheels, a Silk Blue Metallic paint finish (other colours are available, too), special aero kit, and a 15mm lower ride height. On sale in Germany in the autumn, the Polo BlueGT will cost from €19.650. No confirmation has yet been given for UK market availability.

Now here’s an extreme take on the latest-generation Polo, propelling the model from its humdrum roots to the echelons of custom off-road vehicles. Crafted by DC Designs of India, this hot-rodded Polo mixes the looks of Volkswagen’s own Polo R WRC car and ratchets them up to 11, with a blend of extreme modification. As well as extended wheel arches, there is also a much slimmer front grille (framing squinty headlights), beefed-up side skirts, and a rear lighting strip (which we quite like) reminiscent of those fitted to early ‘90s Audis, such as the RS2 estate.

With every panel bar the roof looking altered to some degree, the Polo Midnight (yes, the customary silly name is present) is without doubt one of the most dramatically-changed Polo we’ve ever seen. DC Design hasn’t released any pictures of the Polo Midnight’s interior, so we’re guessing that – for now – it’s standard Polo fayre. The engine certainly is, with the 1.6-litre, 104bhp TDI unit being left untouched. An on-sale date is unlikely, but as some of DC Design’s creations have sold to ‘automotive connoisseurs’, if this wild Polo appeals to you, then who knows?

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