PoloDriver

If you’re here, you’re probably aware the Volkswagen Polo celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, and today marks another important date in its history. The first-generation Polo was presented to the international media from 16-22 March 1975, following the beginning of production not quite two weeks earlier.

The international press presentation and driving event was staged in Hanover, 55 miles west from Volkwagen’s Wolfsburg headquarters. We like the idea of tens of brightly-coloured Polos whizzing around the streets of the Lower Saxony capital city – the scene would be similar to this footage of the August 1974 Audi 50 press launch in Sardinia – and venturing out onto the vast and empty autobahns to cruise flat out at a top speed of 82mph…

Volkswagen’s smallest model in its new wave of water-cooled cars was also on show at the 48th Salon de L’Auto Geneve – the Geneva motor show – having been unveiled there on 13 March 1975. On display until the show’s end on 23 March, a gleaming Marino Yellow Polo L took centre stage on an underlit revolving platform, with a few others scattered about around it. This fantastic video shows some rare footage of the event, and doesn’t our star of the show look fabulous?

In this 50th anniversary year, we’ll have more posts on notable dates and models, but for now, head to our heritage pages to learn more about the history of the Polo, and in particular, how the first-generation Polo arrived as a cut-price version of the Audi 50, outliving its more expensive relative by four years. Happy international media presentation birthday, Polo!

The Volkswagen Polo celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, and there is a reason to celebrate today. On 5 March 1975, production of the Polo began at VW’s Wolfsburg plant. The almost identical Audi 50 was already rolling off Wolfsburg’s production lines, having been launched in August 1974.

Volkswagen’s headquarters site at Wolfsburg would be the sole production home of the Polo until 1984, when the small VW began to be assembled in SEAT’s plant at Pamplona in Spain. This became the site most synonymous with Polo production, the last model coming off the lines in July 2024 after a 40-year run.

The picture above is said to be one of the first, if not the first, image of the new small VW of the Seventies, and the car that completed Volkswagen’s then-new water-cooled line-up. The Polo wouldn’t be seen in public until its launch at the 1975 Geneva motor show around two weeks after the start of production, but the car had been mooted to arrive for several months before. In a synchronistic twist, Volkswagen will unveil the concept version of its ID 1 electric car later today, which, like the first-generation Polo, will be the smallest car in the Volkswagen family.

In this 50th anniversary year, we’ll have more posts on notable dates and models, but for now, head to our heritage pages to learn more about the history of the Polo, and in particular, how the first-generation Polo arrived as a cut-price version of the Audi 50, outliving its more expensive relative by four years. Happy production birthday, Polo!

Motorsport fans will know the Polo has enjoyed worldwide success in the World Rally Championship and the World Rallycross Championship, but closer to home the Polo Cup circuit series has been a breeding ground for young driver talent since the early 1980s. Now, after an absence of almost two decades, the Polo Cup series will return to Germany.

Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa has announced a partnership with Maraco Management, a marketing, racing and consulting agency to introduce its hugely successful Polo Cup series into Germany for the 2026 season.

Just as in the current South African Polo Cup series – which has been running for almost three decades – the German Polo Cup will see drivers behind the wheel of a 2.0-litre Polo GTI Cup car with 295bhp and a six-speed sequential gearbox. The cars will be built at the Volkswagen plant in Kariega where all European and Asia-bound Polo road cars are made, and will be supplied by Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa.

Driver exchange programme
As with earlier iterations of the German Polo Cup series, a key part of the partnership is a driver exchange programme. This is being developed between Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa and Maraco Management, and will give young driving talent opportunities to grow in the sport.

‘Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa will also provide technical support to the competitors, while Maraco Management will offer driver coaching, media training, data coaching, and sports mental training to ensure every driver is equipped with the skills to excel on and off the track,’ said Mike Rowe, head of Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa.

‘Partnering with Maraco Management to introduce the Polo Cup Series in Germany is an exciting milestone for Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa. This partnership reflects our commitment to nurturing emerging talent, advancing motorsport technology, and expanding our global footprint. We are eager to provide drivers with the tools, training, and support to succeed, as we continue to build on Volkswagen’s rich motorsport heritage.

‘Key development’
‘This partnership marks an important step in strengthening Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa’s presence in global motorsport. The 2026 Volkswagen Polo Cup Series will be a key development for the future of motorsport,’ Rowe continued.

‘This new partnership highlights the strength of international collaboration in motorsport, bringing together diverse expertise, innovation, as well as a shared passion for racing,’ said Thorsten Williams of Maraco Management. ‘It showcases how working across borders can create powerful synergies and drive progress in the sport, setting the stage for groundbreaking achievements and a truly global impact.’

The Volkswagen Polo now has more reason to celebrate in 2025! Alongside the marking of its 50th birthday, it has been named the Best Car of the Half Century as part of the Best Cars of the Year – The New Car World Championships. It is the second consecutive year a Volkswagen has scooped the prize, the Golf being the 2024 recipient, the same year it celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The Best Car of the Half Century title plays a significant role in the annual British Motor Show, which this year is due to take place at the Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre on 15-17 August. Visitors to the event will be able to see the Polo, and learn why it has been the supermini of choice for millions of people for the past 50 years.

The New Car World Championships judging panel responsible for the award comprises a who’s who of international motoring experts, including auto industry figureheads, automotive consultants, broadcasters, car designers and engineers, journalists, media professionals, motor club chiefs, motoring event organisers, motorsport personalities, and vehicle retailers.

Five decades of success
The award recognises five decades of success for the Volkswagen Polo, and judge, automotive journalist Mike Rutherford, who founded the awards, said, ‘The 20 million motorists who’ve been buying Volkswagen Polos since 1975 can’t be wrong. It’s been the most consistently credible supermini of the past 50 years and has repeatedly hit the sweet spot in terms of design, overall dimensions, build quality, competitive retail pricing, efficiency and low standing and running costs.

‘It’s a real-world car for budget-conscious, real-world motorists who appreciate the affordability and durability of their long-lasting Polos. And it’s fair to say that since the birth of the Mk 1 version in 1975, it has grown in size, stature and market relevance. No longer is a Polo a basic supermini to be driven on tight, slow streets, in busy towns and cities across the world. At more than four metres long in its current Mk 6 guise, it’s more of a small, credible, and borderline premium-quality family hatchback.’

(Well-said Mike.)

Rod McLeod, director of Volkswagen UK, said, ‘We are all delighted to see the Polo claim this award; it’s a great way to kick off its 50th anniversary celebrations. The Polo is not just a pioneer in terms of technical innovations, but also represents affordable mobility for all. These attributes and values are as relevant and as important to customers today as they were half a century ago, and we believe that’s why our evergreen supermini has stood the test of time.’

Most successful model
More than 20 million Polos have been sold worldwide since its debut, and it has established itself as one of the most successful models in its class. Now exclusively built in South Africa for the local market, and for export to Europe, the Polo is also built in Anchieta and Taubaté in Brazil, and in China by SAIC Volkswagen. The supermini was also produced for a decade in India, in Volkswagen’s Pune plant.

As well as being popular with everyday motorists in its road car guise, the Polo has also been a phenomenally successful motorsport star. The almost unstoppable four-wheel-drive, 300bhp Polo R WRC secured four World Rally Championship titles in a row from 2013 to 2016.

During 2024, 166,304 new Volkswagen passenger vehicles were registered in the UK, making the marque the country’s most popular new car brand for the fourth year running. Almost 29,000 of those were Polos, second only to the Golf (32,370) among Volkswagen sales in the UK last year. The Polo was also the 20th most popular car in Europe last year, with 135,303 examples finding new homes.

Further to the announcement of the start of its celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the Polo, Volkswagen has released more details of the cars that will be on its stand at the upcoming Bremen Classic Motorshow, from 31 January to 2 February.

The Oceanic Blue Polo L has already appeared in Volkswagen’s press release announcing that the company is marking five decades of its evergreen supermini, but it will be joined by a rare hillclimbing Polo, dating from 1977. We’re unsure as to whether the car is owned by Volkswagen Classic, but whoever’s car it is, excitingly, it’s an early Polo we’ve not seen before. A racer for around 20 years, the Bali Green motorsport machine underwent a two-year restoration before it took to the track again in 2022 at the Osnabrück hillclimb, an event which forms part of the FIA International Hill Climb Cup.

Touch of menace
Devoid of any massive spoilers, the wheelarch extensions really pop against the Polo’s simple
and beautifully drawn lines. The front air dam adds a touch of menace, while inside, although the flock-covered dashboard is (barely) recognisable as that of a first-generation Polo, the tough-looking roll-cage points to this Polo’s non-road car life. Other nods to motorsport include the 107bhp, 1300cc engine – almost as much as an early Polo Coupé GT G40, and nearly double that of the 1979, 60bhp Polo GT – and a top speed of 94mph (believe us, that’s more than enough in a first-generation Polo!). Its lowered ride height – compare the headlamp heights of it and the standard Polo in the first image – and body addenda also give it a much tougher stance.

In contrast, the Polo L looks delicate and elegant. This car is from 1975, the first year of Polo production, and this is also recognisable by the colour. Restored by Volkswagen Classic for the launch of the sixth-generation Polo in 2017, it is a perfect example of an early model in more deluxe L-specification, which included chrome-plated bumpers, side trim and door insert strips, and VW grille badge, as well as reversing lights, a two-speed fan blower, full carpeting – the basic Polo made do with full rubber matting – and a passenger sun visor. Power came from a four-cylinder, 37bhp 895cc engine. Even with a weight of just 685kg, performance was best described as ‘leisurely’. Top speed was 82mph.

Increased popularity
Launched as the final piece of the new water-cooled Volkswagen jigsaw, the Polo followed the Passat, Scirocco, and Golf to market, although had appeared the year prior to its debut as the Audi 50. While the small Audi died a quiet death in 1978, the Polo’s better sales and increased popularity ensured it lived on, but few could have predicted it would still be here 50 years after it arrived. With more than 20 million sales, it must rank as one of the most popular small cars ever, so it’s very pleasing it will see its time in the spotlight online and at events during 2025.

Both the Oceanic Blue Polo L and the hillclimb Polo will be star attractions on the Volkswagen Classic stand – D08 in Hall 5 – at the Bremen Classic Motorshow from 31 January to 2 February. One of the most important events for classic vehicles at the beginning of the year, the show usually attracts numerous visitors from all over Europe. Around 50,000 visitors are expected to take in the classic car atmosphere this year.

For those not in attendance, we hope that Volkswagen brings the cars out once more. And if you can’t venture to northern Germany next weekend, then Volkswagen has produced a celebratory brochure marking the Polo’s big milestone: download here. Further materials can be found in the Volkswagen Newsroom.