PoloDriver

Polo and Volkswagen fan Billy Cordes tells the story of ‘Gertrude’, his 1989 Polo hatchback. With the help of his dad and many new parts and paint, he has rebuilt his 21 year-old Helios Blue Polo CL hatchback and restored it to something resembling its former ‘as new’ glory

We have always been a VW driving family. My dad has owned a few old Beetles in his driving career and rebuilt a written-off Wizard Beetle Roadster for my mum many years back. He now owns a rusty ’72 Bay Window camper that hasn’t moved for a while. My grandad has also had Beetles, as well as my uncle, but they now both drive mid-’90s Golfs. My love for the Polo started on a family holiday to Cornwall in 2003 where I saw a white Mk 2 hatchback sat near the beach with a surfboard on top. The car was quite ratty and that made it even cooler.

> Read More

Over in India, The Autocar Show has pitted the new Volkswagen Vento (Polo saloon to you and me) against the similar-sized Honda City. Both use names from their makers’ pasts, and both compete for a slice of the junior/mid-size sedan market. Broadcast every weekend on Bloomberg UTV, The Autocar Show is a brand extension of Autocar India magazine and reports on motoring stories for the Indian market. Fitted with 1.6-litre 104bhp petrol and diesel engines and available in Trendline and Highline trims, the cheapest Volkswagen Vento starts at Rs 6.99 lakhs. What do the Indian road testers think of the new Polo-based notchback? Click on the video link above to find out.

The drip feed is over. Volkswagen UK has been using Facebook as a platform to drum up interest in its new advertising campaign for the Polo. It’s been releasing tiny details over several days this week, up to the 60-second commercial’s debut on TV last night. Soundtracked to Don’t Stop by Roc C, it shows two world championship tango dancers – Manuela Rossi and Gaspar Godoy – interpreting a brutal if graceful version of the traditional South American dance. Like Volkswagen International’s Fast Lane campaign for the Polo GTI, the social media promotion seems to work well. Is the commercial any good? See it for yourself by clicking on the video above, and find out more about the dancers and also how the ad was created by visiting Volkswagen UK’s ‘Tough. Beautiful. Polo.’ Facebook page.

UK new car registrations continued their downward slide in October, according to the latest batch of figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The market is down 22.2% compared with last year; the steepest decline since May 2009. And while the Polo may be conspicuous by its absence from the monthly list of UK top 10 best-sellers, it still sold a considerable 2082 units last month. The baby VW still also stands firm when figures are calculated for the year-to-date, charting in sixth place with 38,372 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is once again the top-selling supermini, with 6024 cars sold in October 2010, while the Polo’s larger sibling, the Volkswagen Golf takes the runner-up place on the podium, with 5230 vehicles finding UK homes. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2010 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 91,965
2 Vauxhall Astra: 70, 576
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 68,970
4 Ford Focus: 68,436
5 Volkswagen Golf: 49,629
6 Volkswagen Polo: 38,372
7 Peugeot 207: 36,970
8 BMW 3 Series: 35, 653
9 Mini: 35,162
10 Nissan Qashqai: 33,652

Despite the new Polo GTI only just ramping up to production levels, German tuner ABT Sportsline has announced power upgrades for the 178bhp 1.4-litre engine, along with similar packages available for the Polo’s 1.2-litre TSI and 1.6 TDI units. Outputs jump quite considerably, with the 1.4 TSI boosted to a Series 6 Golf GTI-rivalling 208bhp; its smaller 1.2 sibling sees a similar increase from 104 to 124bhp. The 1.6 TDI boost is available on both the 89 and 104bhp engines (the latter not sold in the UK), taking them to 115 and 129bhp respectively. Faster pull away, more torque, more engine power and improved acceleration are also key benefits of ABT’s engine upgrades.

The Bavarian company claims that fuel consumption is unchanged on all the small engine power boosts, too, and that the chip upgrades are long-lasting, reliable and fully compatible with everyday use. Of course, the upgrades aren’t just limited to the Polo; any Volkswagen group car which has one fitted can benefit. ABT Sportline also offers cosmetic, exhaust and suspension upgrades for the 6R Polo. A carbon look rear spoiler and double-pipe exhaust add bold styling flourishes, while the titanium-coloured ‘Type Z’ 18-inch ABT alloy rims offer further visual enhancement. Visit the ABT Sportline website for more information and prices on the company’s engine upgrades and tuning parts for the new Polo.