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According to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for April 2012, the Volkswagen Polo held its position as the seventh best-selling car in the UK, and the third best-selling supermini, behind the Ford Fiesta and Vauxhall Corsa. Once again the sixth best-selling car for 2012 so far with 15,743 sales, its larger Golf sibling sold only 21 units more last month, placing it one position ahead in the SMMT’s chart. April again saw a rise in supermini registrations, while overall, registrations rose 3.3 per cent to 142,322 units, the largest 2012 increase.

‘A strong April new car market has raised confidence across the UK motor industry with registrations increasing 3.3 per cent,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘We are seeing a steady increase in consumer confidence with growth in private demand, boosted by the arrival of a raft of new products. SMMT has increased its full year forecast to 1.95 million units, putting the market marginally ahead of 2011, indicating a period of relative stability.’ The top 10 UK best-selling cars in April 2012 and for the year overall (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 8780 (42,170, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 6184 (29,934, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 5491 (29,933, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 4684 (19,578, 5th)
5 BMW 3 Series: 3737 (13,685, 8th)
6 Volkswagen Golf: 3600 (22,394, 4th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 3579 (15,743, 6th)
8 Nissan Qashqai: 2990 (15,481, 7th)
9 Vauxhall Insignia: 2751 (12,082, 9th)
10 Fiat 500: 2600

(The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling car absent from April’s sales figures is the Peugeot 207 selling 11,957 units in tenth place.)

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Once again, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia have scored points on an international rally, taking their third consecutive set at Rally Argentina on 27-29 April. Finishing seventh overall, the French pair took the S2000 class victory over their Norwegian team mates, Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene, who had to retire within sight of the finish line due to suspension damage. The 19 stages around Villa Carlos Paz near Cordoba included gravel tracks, dangerous cliffs, a number of jumps and spectacular water splashes. Stages of up to 65kms in length required hard concentration from all the participating teams as well as careful tyre choices. Volkswagen Motorsport’s all-Škoda Fabia S2000 in-house competition entertained the crowds – at one point, Ogier and Mikkelsen were just 1.5 seconds apart.

‘It was a very interesting and exciting rally for us. The inter-team duel with Andreas was the hardest up to now and we had to try everything to be quicker. It’s a shame that both the cars didn’t make the finish,’ said Ogier, who now holds 10th position in the WRC with 16 points. ‘The team richly deserves the World Championship points, since the engineers and mechanics did a flawless job throughout the four days. The tyre strategy was also crucial for our good result. We managed our tyres very well, so we were quick. Participating in the rally was very valuable for the drivers and the whole team because we have now familiarised ourselves with the long stages, know much more about the entire rally, and can now prepare meticulously for next year’s event.’

Mikkelsen was also extremely satisfied despite his retirement. ‘We put in a great performance on our first appearance here. We could run the same pace as our team mates and didn’t make any big mistakes. Even though we didn’t make it to the finish we can be very proud of our performance,’ said Mikkelsen for whom the suspension defect came as a surprise. ‘To start it felt like a flat tyre because the car didn’t turn left well. Then the suspension broke suddenly,’ said the 22-year old Škoda UK driver.

‘Our good experiences continue in Argentina: not just three victories in the Dakar Rally, but this test event in the WRC will also remain in our memories for a long time,’ explained Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. ‘It was the longest WRC rally held for years and because of its character, one of the hardest. The thrilling head-to-head duel between Ogier and Mikkelsen impressed the spectators and provided us with a great deal of data and knowledge. The team did a perfect job to match in preparing and entering the cars and also the overseas logistics. We were well-equipped and are looking forward to 2013 when we will roll across the start ramp in Argentina with the Polo R WRC.’

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Volkswagen Group South Africa has once again seen its small car stars light up the market, with the Polo Vivo and Polo 6R dominating their segment last month. Continuing the market dominance shown in recent months, the Polo Vivo was once again the top-selling passenger car in South Africa with 2256 units sold, while the latest fifth-generation Polo shifted 1766 examples. Overall, Volkswagen Group South Africa has kept its top position in the passenger car market with total sales of 6461 units and a market share of 21.9 per cent.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa maintained its top position in the passenger car market for the fourth consecutive month in 2012. Our two top-selling Brands, Polo Vivo and Polo continued their market dominance in their respective segments,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director, Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. ‘In spite of the passenger car market decline, the encouraging fact is that the selling rate of the new cars per day in April decreased by only 10.5 per cent when compared to the selling rate in March, when the seasonal analysis of the selling rate would have indicated an expected 13 per cent decline,’ he added.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 104bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R106,100 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R153,200 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

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It was business as usual at the third round of the Engen Volkswagen Cup at the Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth on 28 April, with much bumping and barging, many drivers attempting to tackle corners two, three, or four abreast! A full 29-car grid ensured space was at a premium, but the pair of Polo races only saw two racers unable to finish the timed laps. Sudhir Matai from Car magazine was one, hit from behind and run off the track, resulting in a damaged front end from striking the tyre barrier. A second race start was possible due to work put in by Matai’s pit team and fellow Engen racers, but a damaged lower control arm saw him retire. Ettienne Prinsloo was the other unfortunate casualty.

In race one, Dorian Garvie and Kosie Weyers both sat on the first line of the grid, with Jordan Pepper and Bryan Morgan behind them. Mark Silverwood and Kelvin van der Linde brought up the rear. After the lights had turned green, Garvie tried to hold onto his lead, while Silverwood was on a mission to fight through the cars in front of him, netting him two places during the race. Despite Garvie nudging Pepper, the latter finished seventh, while Garvie crossed the line in 16th. At the front, van der Linde gave Weyers a friendly tap, giving him the lead which he held onto until he took the chequered flag. Weyers was also under attack from Silverwood, but stayed firm in second place. Silverwood came home third.

Race two was just as frenetic, with Silverwood chasing second place with Jeffrey Kruger. Kruger made an overtaking move and got through, soon followed by Mathew Hodges. Weyers had a go, too, but a struggle with fellow racer Devin Robertson saw the pair trading blows down the main straight. Meanwhile, Silverwood ended his third-place battle with Hodges when he exited on the apex of the final corner, finishing 16th, giving Hodges the higher runner-up position. Van der Linde finished first, while Kruger came home second. The Engen Volkswagen Cup racers will take to the track again for round four of the South African national championship at the Kyalami circuit in Johannesburg on 26 May.

The 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing Volkswagen Polo Cup single-series championships run in China, Europe and India. Just as in those officially-sanctioned Volkswagen-moderated series, the South African one-make format highlights new driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racers.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)
3 Mark Silverwood (38: Q8 Oils)

Race 2
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (6: Indy Oil)
3 Mathew Hodges (ITR Africa)

Overall standings
1 Kelvin van der Linde (31: Ferodo Racing)
2 Jeffrey Kruger (6: IndyOil)
3 Kosie Weyers (2: Engen Xtreme)

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Here’s a nice surprise for a Friday afternoon. After its initial launch in Germany late last year, the Polo R Line is now available for UK customers. Not to be confused with the much-rumoured, high-performance Polo R, the R Line brings style to the impressive specification of the popular Polo Match. A unique ‘R’ styling pack with deeper front and rear bumpers, gloss black radiator grille, deeper side sills, and 16-inch ‘Mallory’ alloy wheels gives the Polo more visual presence, while dark-tinted glass from the B-pillar back and front fog lights with cornering function add yet more optical punch.

The interior builds on the sports-orientated look of the exterior, with aluminium sill plates, sports seats with unique ‘Kyalami’ upholstery and embossed ‘R’ logos. A leather-trimmed three-spoke sports steering wheel with ‘R’ logo, and aluminium race-look pedals and black headlining complete the interior makeover. Equipment highlights include an RCD 310 radio/CD player with six speakers and multi-device/iPod interface, ‘Climatic’ semi-automatic air conditioning, a multifunction trip computer, electric windows, height-adjustable front seats, a split-folding rear-seat backrest, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, illuminated vanity mirrors, reading lights, tyre pressure monitor and remote central locking.

Available with one engine, the Polo R Line is powered by the turbocharged 1.2-litre TSI unit with 104bhp, coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox. Performance is a little off GTI pace, with 62mph coming up in 9.7 seconds from rest, and a top speed of 118mph, but fuel consumption is a very respectable 53.3mpg on the combined cycle, while emissions are a low 124g/km. How much for the unique Polo R Line style? Prices start at £15,195 on the road for the three-door model, rising to £15,815 for the five-door. The striking Polo R Line is available to order at Volkswagen Retailers now, with the first deliveries expected in July.

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