PoloDriver

Fresh from its international press launch in Sardinia (the location for the Mk 2 Polo launch, fact fans), more details on the 2009 Volkswagen Polo have been released. Volkswagen has listed details on the three trim levels in Germany (the traditional Trendline, Comfortline and Highline), more information on engines, and plans for the roll-out.

Mainland Europe is to get the car first, at the end of June, with other markets to follow. Cars for the UK are scheduled to land around September or October. Initial drive reports from the Italian outpost claim that the car is big-car impressive, but ultimately not as fun to steer as dynamic arch rival, the Fiesta. The same old story then; has Volkswagen missed a trick?

In other Polo-related news, Volkswagen has received over 13,000 advance orders for the new fifth-generation model (remember that the public hasn’t actually seen the car in the metal yet), and the rumour mill still reports that a deal for the US market has all but been done, although we’ll reserve judgment on that one until we hear a green a light has been given.

It could well be true, though; the first UK road tests point to the top trim level across the Atlantic being SEL, which was used on top-of-the-tree US Corrados and Passats a few years ago.

The website of UK motoring monthly Car, has published the first road test of the new Polo. Driven by respected motoring journalist Georg Kacher, the 1.2 TSI with 105 PS earns a four-star rating. Summing up, Kacher says that the new Polo ‘isn’t perfect, but it’s an impressive step forward from a model that was well past its sell-by date.’ The full drive is in the July 2009 issue of Car magazine out on 20 May, but you can read the exclusive first test here.

No, even though this post has a car in it, and a headline that suggests charging by an electric current, the vehicle in question is powered neither by batteries or a battery/fuel mix. My 1994 Volkswagen Polo GT has been having starting problems of late caused by a flat battery, but now normal service has resumed with a new unit bought from German Swedish and French car parts.

Bought and fitted eventually, that is. The first one I brought home was physically too big for the hole, tucked away in the top left-hand corner of the little VW’s engine bay. Not the easiest place to get to thanks to the intrusion of the brake servo (lacking on early cars, resulting in a much easier fit process thanks to the larger opening), it was clear the new battery wasn’t going to go in, so it went back.

After a dispute with one member of staff in the shop who was adamant it would fit (it was two inches too long – I’ve had the car 10 years, so I should know what fits), it transpired that the new unit I had taken back had been labelled with the wrong part number at branch level, so was swapped out for one which not only looked right, but (surprise, surprise) did actually fit.

Once in place, it ended the two-week power drought which two failed charging periods had failed to resolve. It means that I can now obviously drive the car, owing Nik several journeys where he has had to abstain from the alcoholic stuff, as I had no means of driving him. The no-go resolve came at the right time, too; I wanted the car for Stanford Hall, to give it a run out, as it barely gets used these days.

So, Saturday afternoon and early evening were spent cleaning, polishing, vacuuming, and finessing the GT for the day that lay the other side of a good night’s sleep. My acute obssessiveness must have worked; Derek from next-door came out of the house and congratulated me on how good the old car looked. I was pleased, as a few hours’ cleaning had stripped time off the 15 year-old, 157,000-mile body.

I could have spent even longer on it if I’d wanted to, but one of the joys of not using it that much means that the Polo is still in not too bad a condition for its age, even though it’s not garaged. That wasn’t true of me, though, on Saturday night; exhausted but happy, but certainly not as fully charged as I was at the start of the day. There were a few complimentary looks at Lutterworth on Sunday, though, so all the effort was appreciated.

Today, Volkswagen India starts the pre-series production of its most anticipated mid-segment model, the new Polo, at its Pune plant. The new Minister for Economics, Labour and Transportation of the German Federal State of Lower Saxony, Dr Philipp Rösler, visited the plant at Chakan to give the go ahead for the first welded body of the car.

The Minister together with a delegation of around 30 leading business representatives of the German Federal State, were welcomed by Mr Joerg Mueller, President and Managing Director, Volkswagen Group India; Dr John Chacko, Managing Director Technical, Volkswagen India Private Limited and Mr K K Swamy, Vice President and Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited.

In the presence of Minister Dr Rösler who is also Member of the Supervisory Board of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, and the German Consul General, Walter Stechel, the first finished body of the Polo on the way to the paint shop was given its first sanction. This production is a pre-run to the official production of the Polo that will begin at the plant by the end of this year.

For Volkswagen, the recent inauguration of the Pune plant on 31st March 2009 was a major stepping stone towards achieving its ambitious growth targets on the Indian subcontinent. The Pune plant will begin building the Škoda Fabia compact car in May 2009. Production of a hatchback version of the Volkswagen Polo specially developed for the Indian market will be added from 2010.

With a total financial commitment in India amounting to 580 million euros (3800 crore INR), the Pune plant represents the largest investment to date by a German company in the country. The facility has a maximum annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles destined for delivery to the Indian market.

The Pune plant is one of the most modern in the Volkswagen Group. It has a high level of vertical integration and a large share of local suppliers. The facility is the only production plant operated by a German automaker in India that covers the entire production process from press shop through body shop and paint shop to final assembly. Volkswagen plans to employ some 2,500 people at the Pune plant by the end of 2010.

VW has been keen to show us the five-door version of the new Polo, but sportier-looking three-door has been conspicuous by its absence. Due later in the year, Motor Authority has published renderings of the fewer door and rumoured shorter wheelbase model on its US-based website. How close these latest pictures are to the official look is a mystery, but going on previous conservative VW form, they’re more than likely accurate.

With the same basic shape an outline as the five-door, the three-door looks immediately sportier, and as if it could carry off the GTI treatment with some style. Engines are rumoured to reflect the choices in the family friendly five-door, with new 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI and 1.6-litre 89bhp TDI units being the highlights.

As reported before, the new GTI is due to arrive sometime after the model’s official launch. With a new 1.4-litre TSI powerplant, it should kick out 168bhp and take styling cues from the recently launched Mk 6 Golf GTI. BlueMotion eco variants are also part of the plan, possibly even hitting the streets before the GTI.

Whether the next-generation Polo forms part of VW’s assault master plan in the US remains to be seen, but with the company keen to triple its sales in the continent, few would bet against it. Production of the car has just been announced in India, adding to its other worldwide assembly sites, making the Polo a truly global model.

[Images: Motor Authority]