PoloDriver

Lee Thompson was the standout driver at the sixth race meeting of the Engen Volkswagen Cup (also known as the Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa) last weekend, scoring first place in race one and second position in race two at the South African BMSC circuit, East London. Winner of race two was Kosie Weyers, while championship leader Devin Robertson took third place in race one, and finished one place lower in the second.

The 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing VW Polo Cup single-series championships run in both Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format particularly highlights a wealth of new young driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racing cars. The next two rounds of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup are scheduled for 1 October at the Killarney circuit, Cape Town.

Volkswagen UK have today confirmed pricing and specification details of the celebratory Golf GTI Edition 35, celebrating 35 years of its iconic hot hatchback. First announced back in May (see here for our previous story), the most powerful Golf GTI to date features a 1984cc turbocharged engine, producing 232bhp (235PS) – 23bhp more than the standard car – at 5500rpm. Maximum torque of 221lb ft (300Nm) is produced at 2200rpm. The GTI Edition 35 posts a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds, while top speed is 153mph, and CO2 emissions are 189g/km (185g/km on DSG cars).

Special exterior identifiers include a more sports-orientated bodykit which includes new side skirts and front bumper, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, 18-inch ‘Watkins Glen’ alloy wheels finished in ‘Dark Steel’ or silver, an ‘Edition 35’ front wing badge, gloss back door mirrors, darkened rear windows and darker LED rear lights. ‘Edition 35’ badges also feature on the front seats, door sills and floor mats, while the seatbelts feature a red stripe and the legendary ‘golf ball’ Golf GTI gearknob (fitted to both manual and DSG-equipped cars).

Prices for the Golf GTI Edition 35 start at £27,525 (RRP OTR, £2220 over the standard car) for the six-speed manual three-door model. There is a £1,295 premium for the DSG gearbox and £585 for five doors. Volkswagen Retailers will begin taking orders from today with first customer deliveries due next month. For more information contact your nearest Volkswagen Retailer or visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

Volkswagen Golf GTI Edition 35 UK prices
2.0-litre TSI, 235PS, 6-speed manual 3-door, 189g/km: £27,525
2.0-litre TSI 235 PS, 6speed auto DSG, 3-door, 185g/km: £28,820
2.0-litre TSI, 235PS, 6-speed manual 5-door, 189g/km: £28,110
2.0-litre TSI 235 PS, 6speed auto DSG, 5-door, 185g/km: £29,405

Traditionally an impressive home motor show for German car manufacturers, Volkswagen is pulling out all the stops at 2011’s IAA in Frankfurt. With 54 show cars on it 8893m² Hall 3 exhibition stand, the company’s largest (not literally) launch is its all-new up! city car. The new Golf Cabriolet and Tiguan will also be Volkswagen’s stars of the show. In addition, there will also be a fleet of 74 test vehicles – the largest at the event – including nine electric-powered Golf blue e-motions. 1000 workers are on site turning the vision of 14 architects into reality, while 2870m² of carpeting will be laid along with 6400m² of glass flooring. Four hundred lamps and a similar number of moving lights will illuminate the two-floor stand, and 80 Volkswagen employees and 228 hosts and hostesses will welcome visitors. The 2011 IAA Frankfurt opens it doors on 15 September. Read more for the full official Volkswagen press release.

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Typical. We go on holiday and one of the autumn’s biggest potential stars is unveiled to the world. After months, no, years of speculation, and ahead of its Frankfurt motor show later this month, Volkswagen has released the first official images of the up! – its much promised city car. Errant exclamation mark and trim level names (‘take up!’, ‘move up!’ and the range-topping ‘high up!’) notwithstanding, we like the idea and the car itself, and it should prove popular. A monobox in silhouette, the up! is an all-new design and according to Volkswagen, ‘offers maximum space on a minimal footprint.’

New 59bhp and 74bhp three-cylinder petrol engines make their debut in the tiny tot, while an electric version is in the pipeline. Technology also features heavily to lure in city dwellers, with VW’s new Personal Infotainment Device making its debut. The system has been developed to organise navigation, telephone, information and entertainment, and was designed in cooperation with Navigon. The up! goes on sale in continental Europe in December; UK prices and specifications will be released nearer the diminuative car’s on sale date here. Read more for the first official VW details.

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There’s still life in the Series 4 Polo yet. Volkswagen do Brasil has just launched the ‘Novo Polo’ and ‘Novo Polo Sedan’, latest versions of the facelifted Series 4 Polo, sold from 2005-2009. Essentially the same as the South African-market Polo Vivo, the 2012 Novo Polo and Novo Polo Sedan get a more corporate-looking Volkswagen front grille and bumper, giving the car a much more current VW ‘face’, while the interior features a silver painted dashboard, as found on Series 4 facelifted Polo GTIs from 2006. There’s also a version of the VW multifunction steering wheel, bringing things up to date.

Engines are carried over from the outgoing model, and it’s here where the cars are differentiated from their once European counterparts. Brazilian-market Series 4 Polos have long been fitted with the 100bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine, and also the 115bhp 2.0-litre engine, presumably tracing its roots back to the Series 3 Golf, built between 1992 and 1998. No diesel options are offered. The hatchback range consists of six five-door models: Novo Polo 1.6, I-Motion 1.6, Bluemotion 1.6, Sportline 1.6, Sportline I-Motion 1.6 and the top-of-the-rung Sportline 2.0. The four-door Novo Polo Sedan comes as Novo Polo Sedan 1.6, I-Motion 1.6, Comfortline 1.6/2.0 and the Comfortline I-Motion 1.6.

Basic models are equipped with airbags and air-conditioning, I-Motion cars upwards feature power steering, while Bluemotion variants (I-Motion and Comfortline in the Novo Polo Sedan range) add a CD/MP3/SD card/Bluetooth/USB radio system and 6J x 15 ‘Castille’ alloy wheels with 195/55 R15 tyres lifted from the latest fifth-generation 6R Polo range. The Novo Polo hatchback range kicks off at R$44.390,00 for the 1.6-litre model, while the booted Novo Polo Sedan is available from R$47.770,00. Visit www.volkswagen.com/br for further details. With the latest modern Polo range being sold in other South American countries such as Argentina (along with a facelifted Fox), you have to ask the question why is Volkswagen do Brasil sticking with the older, more outdated car?

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