PoloDriver

The Polo is among the most secure vehicle winners announced by Australia’s National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC) last week. Volkswagen took top honours in four of the six classes, the Polo, Golf and Tiguan taking the first prize in their respective categories, while the Passat came joint first in the medium car group. NMVTRC chairman, David Morgan, said: ‘While there are some luxury vehicles amongst the winners, the inclusion of the many affordable cars, with the Polo starting at around $20,000 clearly demonstrates that good security is within reach of everyday motorists and that other manufacturers should be aspiring to matching these levels of design.’

Tough vehicle security tests included expert competitor analysis, and credits for entry system security, engine immobiliser effectiveness, and vehicle identification. Alarms, body stamping, boot access, doors, glazing, ignition locks, and micro dotting were considerations which helped the Volkswagens distinguish themselves as the most secure cars in their class. Volkswagen Australia Managing Director, Ms Anke Koeckler, commented: ‘We’re delighted to accept not one, but four awards for the most secure cars in Australia. These awards further demonstrate our commitment to offer vehicles with class-leading security as well as unparalleled drivability, at a price to suit every motorist.’

We thought we’d heard the end of the story, but the Polo R rumour book has opened again, although once more, it’s not good news. Recent reports state that the road-going Polo R was to be based on the limited edition, 252bhp left-hand drive-only Audi A1 quattro. That car costs £41,020, which would certainly price a similarly-expensive Polo out of the market. Volkswagen has reportedly realised this, admitting that the number of potential buyers for the car would be very limited. The Polo GTI only makes up 1 per cent of Polo sales in the UK.

‘Producing a Polo R road car is one possibility, but we need customers for such a car. Maybe it is easier for Audi than VW to market a powerful, all-wheel-drive city car,’ Volkswagen’s board member for development, Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, has reportedly stated. ‘If we make a Polo for WRC homologation, then that makes sense. But in the basic Polo, we don’t have the customers to make a R version of the car,’ he continued. A Polo R road car would make sense from a WRC marketing point of view, but for now it appears as unlikely as ever.

Following success in India, Russia and South Africa, the latest market to launch a traditional booted version of the fifth-generation Polo is Malaysia. On sale yesterday at RM99,888 (excluding registration and insurance charges), the notchback is taking the lead from the Russian and South African markets and is named Polo Sedan. Made in India and exported to Malaysia, only one version is available, ‘Polo Sedan’, with a 1.6-litre, 104bhp petrol engine, once again borrowed from other markets. A six-speed Tiptronic traditional torque-converter gearbox is the only transmission available.

Marked out from the Polo hatchback by chrome external trim finishes and of course that elegantly-styled luggage boot, the Polo Sedan comes in six colours and with 15-inch alloy wheels. Leather-trimmed interior fixtures help the luxury feel, while equipment includes four electric windows, multifunction display, music system, four airbags and an ‘Intelligent Crash Response System’, which automatically unlocks the doors and switches on the hazard lights when an accident is detected. Local CKD (complete knock-down) production would depend on the new Polo Sedan’s success in Malaysia.

[Source: Indian Autos Blog and Paul Tan]

Reports are coming in that the latest Polo GTI 6R is to be produced in China, but with one major difference – its 178bhp engine will be replaced with a lower output 131bhp unit. The engine – still a turbocharged 1.4-litre TSI from the locally-produced Lavida – is thought to be cheaper to import than the higher output ‘twincharged’ unit, meaning lower retail prices of each completed car, therefore potentially appealing to more prospective customers.

The Chinese Polo GTI is expected to take a public bow in May, after having debuted at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show. It will be the first time the model has appeared in China, and also marks the first time the GTI has been made outside of Germany, manufactured by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture. The good news is that there are no visual changes to the Chinese-produced car compared to its more expensive European counterpart.

Outstripping the grids of other classes, the second race weekend of the 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup took place at Killarney on 31 March – 1 April. In total, 33 racing Polo Vivos took to the track ensuring lots of race action. In a change to the usual two races, Killarney saw three, with the first pair being sprint races of six laps, while the third 12-lap event was run later in the day. The top six drivers in qualifying drew grid positions for race one, while the second race grid was made up from the top six finishers starting in reverse order. The third race grid was determined by the racers’ second-fastest lap time in qualifying sessions.

In the first race, defending champion Devin Robertson created a gap between him and the rest of the field, all the time keeping Kosie Weyers at bay. Weyers had made his way past fastest qualifier Matthew Hodges, and was lucky to fend off Kelvin van der Linde. Robertson crossed the line first, followed by Weyers and van der Linde, and it was all to drive for, as the second race grid was a reverse of the first. Robertson started sixth, Weyers fifth, and van der Linde fourth.

Trevor Bland was in pole for the start of race two – his first ever – and made a good start, but soon lost it, as van der Linde, Kyle Barnes, Weyers, and then Robertson made their way past. Van der Linde took the flag, with Barnes seconds and Weyers third. Race thee meanwhile saw local racer Weyers take victory, with Robertson taking the R2000 prize for the fastest lap and the second spot on the podium, followed by van der Linde. Bland finished fourth overall after the races had been run, and was named ‘Driver of the Day’.

Guest racer Sudhir Matai of Car magazine had a tough day. A broken gear linkage eliminated him from the second race, while race three saw him shunted off the track, and he hit the wall going backwards. He got his Polo Vivo racer back on the track, but when the front left tyre deflated on the main straight, he parked up and waited for the race to finish. The Engen Volkswagen Cup racers will take to the track for round three of the national championship at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on Saturday 28 April.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those officially-sanctioned Volkswagen-moderated series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the tracks in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racers.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Devin Robertson (1: Sparco/Big Boss Auto)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)

Race 2
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Kyle Barnes (4: Gold Liberations)
3 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)

Race 3
1 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
2 Devin Robertson (1: Sparco/Big Boss Auto)
3 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)

Overall standings
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Devin Robertson (1: Sparco/Big Boss Auto)

Masters Championship overall standings
1 Dean Ball (M5: Champion Motors)
2 Eddie Rodrigues (M7: SEW Eurodrive)
3 Justin Taylor (M3: VW Techniques)