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Volkswagen has received approval from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) for the ‘technical solution’ of models fitted with the 1.2-litre EA189 TDI engine embroiled in the ‘Dieselgate’ issue, first announced in September 2015.

460,000 vehicles recalled
Over 460,000 vehicles which have the three-cylinder engine installed will be recalled, including fifth-generation Polo BlueMotion ‘6R’ models built from 2009-2014. Autocar reports that in the UK, 18,018 Polos are affected. Selected SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia models will also have to be taken back to local retailers to receive the fix.

Just a software update, owners of affected cars will be contacted and instructed to take their vehicle to an authorised retailer have the update applied free of charge. Owners should receive two letters – the first stating that the car is affected, the second instructing to make an appointment for the update. All cars which need the remedial work remain safe to safe drive.

No effect on performance
The KBA has agreed that the fix should have no effect on affected vehicles’ fuel consumption, noise levels or performance, and that the vehicles will fulfil all statutory requirements once they have had the software update applied. Volkswagen has stated that it is ‘continuing to put every effort into implementing the technical solutions and will correct all vehicles affected by the NOx issue’.

The latest Volkswagen EA189 engine ‘modification’ follows the roll-out of the 2.0-litre EA189 TDI fix, which started at the beginning of 2016. Arguably the largest group of engines affected by ‘Dieselgate’ – the cluster of 1.6-litre EA189 TDI units – has yet to be called in for a remedial fix.

At last! It took a while, but Johan Kristoffersson finally achieved the first FIA World Rallycross Championship podium finish for the newly-formed Volkswagen RX Sweden team at the World RX of Canada. The event at Trois-Rivières in Quebec marked the seventh round of the 2016 series and the mid-way point of the season, and 27 year-old Kristoffersson made it onto the third step of the podium.

‘Really good to be back here’
‘We’ve been so close and finally our hard work has paid off and we are back on the podium – it feels really good to be back here,’ said a jubilant Kristoffersson, who is now just three points off third place in the Drivers’ Championship. ‘Petter Solberg was outstanding in the semi-final and I felt like I couldn’t catch him, but then the rain started and our car works so well in the rain. The first two laps were really good for us and the car worked perfectly,’ he continued.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

Kristoffersson’s team-mate Anton Marklund also made the final in Canada, but just missed out on a top five finish, coming home sixth. His Polo RX suffered a brake failure and he collided with ex-World Rally Champion Petter Solberg’s Citroën DS3 RX. Marklund subsequently hit a wall on the first lap of the Supercar final, and damaged a rear tyre. Both he and Solberg were taken to the medical centre for precautionary checks, with both drivers being declared fine.

Three consecutive podiums
The Canadian round of the World Rallycross Championship has been kind to the 600bhp Polo RX Supercar – the small but powerful Volkswagen has achieved three consecutive podiums at the North American event. Marklund finished second at the famous street circuit in 2014, while the Volkswagen RX Sweden car finished second and third at the 2015 event, with Finland’s Toomas Heikkinen and America’s Tanner Foust.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Canada: Marklund

Before the event, Kristoffersson reported that a few changes to the super-Polo had taken place: ‘We have made a few updates that will no doubt help us. Last season we were strong in Canada at the start of the weekend, this year we want to remain focussed throughout the entire event.’

Volkswagen RX Sweden Team Principal Michael Schneider confirmed the car is a match for its competitors: ‘When I look back on the first half of the season, I’m very happy with the performance of the car and both drivers. We have produced a very competitive car for 2016.’

Timmy Hansen won the World RX of Canada for Team Peugeot Hansen. the Swede took an unexpected victory after he was promoted to the final when Russia’s Timur Timerzyanov was black flagged after an incident in the semi-final. The next round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of France, which takes place in Lohéac from 2-4 September.

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 161
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 157
3 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 132
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 129
5 Sébastien Loeb, Peugeot 208: 121

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,

TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

1 EKS: 256
2 Team Peugeot Hansen: 226
3 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 188
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 167
5 World RX Team Austria: 126

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com / Volkswagen RX Sweden]

A standard fitment on diesel cars, proven to reduce harmful NOx emissions, particulate filters will be fitted to petrol-engined Volkswagens from 2017, the company has announced. It claims that emissions of soot particles from direct injection petrol engines can be cut by up to 90 per cent. The ‘gasoline particulate filters’ (GPF) will be employed on Volkswagen Group cars powered by TSI and TFSI drivetrains.

The first model fitted with the new technology will be the 1.4-litre TSI derivative of the Tiguan*, due to arrive in June 2017. The Volkswagen Group predicts that up to 7 million vehicles could use the technology by 2022, which includes the new, sixth-generation Polo which will be introduced sometime next year and feature myriad turbocharged petrol and diesel engines.

‘Sustained reduction in emissions’
Dr Ulrich Eichhorn, Head of Group Research and Development said: ‘Following increases in efficiency and lower CO2 output, we are now bringing about a sustained reduction in the emission levels of our modern petrol engines by fitting particulate filters as standard.’

Even though exhaust gas treatment systems can be costly, diesel engine emissions will still be worked on, too, especially in light of the ‘Dieselgate’ crisis which was first discovered in September 2015. ‘In the future, all models will be equipped with the latest and most efficient Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalytic converter technology,’ stated Eichhorn.

Related to the recent announcement, independent testing body Emission Analytics rated the Volkswagen Group the cleanest performer in its EQUA Air Quality Index. Comparative measurements were used, and the Volkswagen Group was ranked first in three categories: EU 6 petrol engine, EU 5 petrol engine and EU 6 hybrid vehicles.

*Tiguan 1.4 TSI fuel consumption in l/100km: 6.9-5.7 (combined); CO2 emissions in g/km: 155-139 (combined); Efficiency class: C-B.

Volkswagen UK has announced new offers on the Polo range to tempt buyers, just as its is revealed that the car is still one of the best-selling cars in the country. The Polo is now available for only £139 per month via Retail Personal Contract Hire over 48 months, while customers who choose a Solutions Personal Contract Plan benefit from a deposit contribution of up to £1400 at 6.7 per cent APR representative. The offers are available for vehicles ordered by 30 September 2016 from participating retailers.

One year’s free insurance
Selected Polo models also receive one year’s free cover from Volkswagen Insurance, if ordered between 1 July 2016 to 30 September 2016 and registered by 10 January 2017. Participating drivers have to be 18 years or over while those choosing the Polo BlueGT and GTI models have a minimum age requirement of 25. Other eligibility criteria applies. The Polo range starts at £11,525: for comprehensive terms and conditions on all the new offers, visit volkswagen.co.uk or your local Volkswagen Retailer.

The Polo is once again one of the best-selling cars in the UK, according to the latest figures announced by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Sitting in seventh place – a rise of one position – 4112 Polos were registered in July 2016, and it appears in the same position for the year-so-far best-sellers chart, too, where a total of 32,112 examples have been recorded. Once again, the Ford Fiesta tops both charts as it celebrates its fortieth anniversary.

The SMMT states that there was a marginal increase of 0.1 per cent for the month, with 1,599,159 new cars registered so far in 2016. Demand in the year-to-date is 2.8 per cent higher than for the same period in 2015. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during June 2016 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7990 (71,823, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 5606 (47,962, 2nd)
3 Vauxhall Astra: 4939 (33,345, 6th)
4 Ford Focus: 4911 (43,626, 3rd)
5 Nissan Qashqai: 4527 (38,183, 5th)
6 Volkswagen Golf: 4519 (42,096, 4th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 4112 (32,112, 7th)
8 Vauxhall Mokka: 3321 (25,783, 9th)
9 Mercedes-Benz A Class: 3040
10 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3015 (25,084, 10th)

(The 2016 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the eighth-placed Mini, with 26,533 cars registered.)

One of the 1970s stars of Volkswagen’s rejuvenated and company-changing range of new front-wheel drive and water-cooled cars, the lifespan of the Mk 1 Polo was only six years, but a small number of special editions were wheeled out in that time to either bolster interest and create something special – Polo Jeans, 1976 and 1978 – or to rekindle demand towards the end of its life – Polo LX, 1981.

There was another, more elusive limited edition, though – the Polo RX. Not to be confused with the 600bhp Polo RX rallycross car of today, the 1970s Polo with the similar name had around ten times fewer horsepower and looked a lot less extreme. Only available in Belgium during 1978, production was limited to 1000 examples only.

Sports styling
Sports styling took nods from the Golf GTI – then only two years old remember – and previewed the Polo GT which arrived a year later in 1979. A matt black rear window surround matched the black-painted metal bumpers perfectly, while stripes in a similar shade emblazoned with the ‘RX’ legend adorned the side panels. A large badge on the front grille left cars in front in no danger of what was behind them, while under-bumper front fog lights further added to the menace.

While the appearance of the Polo RX was similar to the later GT, the engine was, too. A 1.3-litre four-cylinder unit taken from other models in the Volkswagen range was installed in the RX’s engine bay, and made the same 60bhp as the ‘proper’ hot Polo, too, with 0-62mph coming up in 12.9 seconds. Inside, occupants were treated to dark-coloured padded seats, a rev counter and a water temperature gauge.

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

The brochure promised: ‘The “RX”, a special edition of the Polo. With much punch.’ There was more: ‘The Polo is like no ordinary vehicle. But here is really something extraordinary.’ The RX certainly worked its magic on Geoffroy Thirion, who has owned the Polo RX featured in the photos here since 2012. Geoffroy is from Belgium and likes the fact that the RX is so rare, even more so that it was a limited model for for his own country.

Rarest Polo models
Probably one of the rarest first-generation Polo models, Geoffroy has lusted after one since he was a young boy: ‘Since I was a kid, one of my dreams was to one day be able to make the acquisition of a Polo RX – they have become so rare! To my surprise, while rummaging in period magazines at the 2011 Techno Classica Essen show, I came across the photo of a Polo RX. A year later I managed to buy one!’ he enthuses.

Geoffroy’s car has worn various wheels over his five-year ownership, from the standard 13-inch steel wheels (not as nattily painted as the red and black rims on the GT), through red cross-spoke alloys, to ‘telephone dial’-style rims. It also has a spoiler from the Polo GT nestling under its front bumper. The car sits alongside his 1979 UK-specification Polo GLS in his garage, and is an award-winner, too, having won the Best in Show’ prize at the 2015 WPG20 show in Belgium which celebrated the Polo’s 40th birthday.

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

1978 Volkswagen Polo RX: Geoffroy Thirion

With only one other Polo RX owned by a member of the Belgian Typ86.be Polo forum, the question is where have the other 998 cars got to? We suspect by the age – 38 years is a long time in first-generation Polo circles – that sadly many are no longer with us, but it doesn’t stop us holding out hope that one day, a collective rasp of RXs will line-up in all their red and black-striped glory.

Once that has happened, we need to look out for the perhaps even scarcer ‘J’ and ‘CLE’ special edition first-generation Polo models, as well as the ultra-rare 850cc-engined version sold in selected Scandinavian markets and early ‘square-roof’ cars… Find out more about the Mk1 Polo special editions here.