PoloDriver

Have a current fifth-generation Polo 6R? Is it not tasty enough for you? Then worry no more, as Volkswagen UK has released an Official Polo Accessories app for the ubiquitous Apple iPhone and iPad. Available free from the Apple App Store, the app is essentially a swish brochure to swipe and poke at, giving details of all the latest official accessories and trinkets that are available to make your Polo stand out from the crowd. There’s a video showcasing most of the external add-ons as well as some ‘lifestyle’ items, a general extras and sports section featuring body kits and styling addenda, and a wheels and tyres section (strangely using the US spelling of ‘tires’, when the Polo’s not even sold there). The wheels section is particularly nice, as the wheels are shown on an actual Polo, so you get an instant visual representation of what the choice will look like. All part numbers and prices are included, to help make ordering from a Volkswagen Retailer easy. Volkswagen UK has also launched similar Official Accessories apps for the Eos, Jetta and new Passat.

Fancy a mean Golf R/Porsche 911-like piercing LED stare from your 6R Polo? Or how about a bit of Audi LED-bling? Volkswagen Accessories in Germany has announced that current Polo (AO5) and Golf (AO6) models can be retrofitted with bright white LED daytime running lights. The 22 LEDs that make up each unit generate four times the luminosity of conventional parking/side lights and automatically start when the engine is turned on, going out when parking or low-beam headlights are illuminated, or, when the engine is turned off. The LED daytime runners are energy saving, too, and have 10,000 hours of operation – more than enough to bear down on that Corsa or Fiesta on the M1. Unlike the £745 Bi-Xenon headlamp units available as an optional extra on SEL and GTI Polo models, the retrofit LED lights are mounted on the front bumper. Ordering takes place via Volkswagen Retailers, although prices and availability for the UK has yet to be decided.

Rahil Noorani won his first Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2011 race in round 2 of the championship, held over 17-18 July at Coimbatore. The 21 year-old rookie driver beat championship leader Vishnu Prasad into third place (from a ninth-place start), ahead of Ajay Kini from Bangalore. Noorani had a great start and led into the first corner ahead of Kini and Avdumbder Hede. Oshan Kothadiya from Pune fought Kini for a podium place, ultimately losing out to Prasad. Commenting on his first victory, winner Rahil Noorani said: ‘It feels great to win. I qualified on pole and the only thing on my mind was to lead into the first corner and take it from there. I stayed focussed, which helped me to win the race.’

Prithviraj Siddappa, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport India, was pleased with the result: ‘Another great race to start off round 2. It was an action-packed race and it was good to see different winners on the podium. It is great to see drivers giving more attention in analysing their data to see where they can improve. This shows the drivers are enthusiastic and determined to do well in this championship. The Polo Race cars are performing greatly, and we are very happy with the performance and efficiency of their engines.’ The 2011 Volkswagen Polo Cup India is run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. The field of 20 young racers drive identical and centrally-prepared 129bhp TDI Polo R Cup racing cars.

Race 2 saw many crashes, collisions and high-speed spins which saw the lead change hands a number of times. A reverse grid start saw race 1 winner Noorani roll from eighth position, with Prasad ahead in sixth. Mihir Dharkar from Mumbai took pole position, although an unfortunate spin dashed his hopes of holding onto the lead until the end of the race. The lead was passed to Kothadia, closely tailed by Prasad. A safety car outing saw Prasad close in on the leaders and on the tenth lap, he passed Kothadia to take pole and win the race. Kothadia then forced Noorani into a spin with three laps to go, but both drivers ended up on podium in second and third places respectively. Round 3 of the Volkswagen Polo R Cup 2011 will take place on 19-21 August at the Irungattukottai Race Track in Chennai.

[Image: Rahul Basu/zigwheels.com]

Wondering which Volkswagen might suit your fleet needs? Wonder no more, as Volkswagen Fleet Services has launched two new CO2 emissions price lists, making it simple and quick to find a car that suits a fleet manager’s or driver’s needs. First launched in 2009, the fleet price guide details all the car’s in the Vokswagen range with a CO2 output of 160g/km or less. Including information on P11D values, Benefit in Kind tax implications and individual CO2 emissions listings, it is joined by a booklet containing all the vehicles in the Volkswagen range with CO2 emissions under 120g/km.

Volkswagen Fleet Services’ Communications Manager, Tracey Rossetti, commented: ‘We had a very positive response to the first emissions guide we published in 2009 and so have decided to develop it further and introduce the new version with sub-120 g/km vehicles. Although all our fleet price lists contain this information, we believe this makes people’s lives and vehicle selections easier – as all the data is contained in one easy to use guide – and that’s important to both busy fleet managers and drivers.’

The sub-160 g/km booklet contains 16 model ranges, from the Fox city car to the Sharan people carrier, and includes the recently introduced Polo Match and new Touran, while the sub-120 g/km price list offers a choice of nine model ranges including the highly acclaimed new Golf Cabriolet and the Golf BlueMotion which emits just 99g/km of carbon dioxide and is exempt from the London Congestion Charge. To download electronic versions of the price guides, go to www.volkswagen.co.uk/fleet. Printed copies are available by calling the Volkswagen Fleet Business Centre on 0800 38 989 38.

The latest Polo BlueMotion will be one of the stars of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion stand at EcoVelocity 2011, the low-carbon motor show being held at Battersea Power Station from 8-11 September. Visitors to the Volkswagen stand will be encouraged to ‘Think Blue’, as they pour over the latest BlueMotion vehicles and technologies, both inside and out on the track. Among the vehicles available to drive the near-mile long circuit will be the 3.0-litre V6/34.3kW electric motor-powered Touareg Hybrid, as well as the 2.0 TDI 138bhp Scirocco BlueMotion Technology.

The 1.2-litre TDI Polo BlueMotion with 74bhp will be on the Volkswagen stand, along with its frugal yet fun petrol brother, the 1.2-litre SEL TSI with 104bhp. In addition, the popular 99g/km, 74.3mpg, Congestion Charge-beating Golf BlueMotion will also be on show. Visitors will also be able to engage with BlueMotion Technologies on the Volkswagen stand, which features an interactive touchscreen experience and the ‘rollercoaster,’ which takes visitors on a journey of discovery into the innovations which reduce fuel consumption and emissions.

Giles Brown, EcoVelocity Director, said, ‘We’re delighted to have Volkswagen at EcoVelocity as it is one of the game-changing brands that really started the movement towards no-compromise ultra-low carbon motoring. Its BlueMotion range set the industry benchmark and we look forward to getting a further insight into their ground-breaking technology at EcoVelocity in September.’ For more information on BlueMotion Technologies go to www.volkswagen.co.uk/bluemotion, and visit www.ecovelocity.co.uk to book tickets or for further details on EcoVelocity.