As if GTI and GT TSI and TDI versions weren’t enough, Volkswagen India has announced the new Polo GT Sport, a limited edition ‘warm’ model. A ‘combination of power and efficiency’ is what the Polo GT Sport is all about, and like the standard GT model on which it is based, the new car is available with both TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines.
Exterior and interior updates
A host of exterior and interior updates differentiate the GT Sport from its lesser limited sibling. Outside, a gloss black spoiler, roof foil, ‘GT Sport’ side decals and 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels mark out the Polo GT Sport, while inside there are leatherette ‘GT Sport’-embossed seat covers. As limited as the – non-specified – production run is the choice of colours, with only Candy White and Flash Red the finishes available.
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
Mechanically, the Polo GT Sport is unchanged from the standard Indian-market Polo GT. That means an option of 1.2-litre 103bhp TSI turbocharged petrol or 1.5-litre 107bhp TDI diesel engines mated to either seven-speed DSG (GT TSI) or five-speed manual (GT TDI) transmissions. Standard Polo GT features such as aluminium pedals and electrically-folding mirrors remain.
‘The first choice for buyers’
Speaking at the launch, Thierry Lespiaucq, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Sales India, said: ‘Polo GT has been the first choice for buyers who seek strong power delivery and class-leading efficiency both combined a single carline. The GT badge has always instilled the pride of owning the best, and the Polo GT Sport takes it a notch higher.’
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)
The 2017 Volkswagen Polo GT TSI Sport is priced at INR 9.11 lakh, while the Polo GT TDI Sport costs INR 9.21 lakh (both ex-showroom Delhi). Find out more details about the limited edition Polo GT Sport on the special Volkswagen India website, while learn about the standard features of the Polo GT by clicking this link.
After a promising first outing in Barcelona, the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team had reason to celebrate at the second round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the 22-23 April World RX of Portugal. Johan Kristoffersson took his Polo GTI Supercar to third place in the final in Montalnegre, behind current World RX champion Mattias Ekström and multi-World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb.
Fastest time
Setting a quick pace from the off, the 570bhp PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTIs were in fine form, and for the first time, sported different coloured roof panels for ease of being seen more clearly when in the thick of the action: Kristoffersson’s car now has a white panel, while Petter Solberg’s Polo is capped in black. The PSRX Volkswagen Sweden machines were even quick in practice, scoring a Kristoffersson-Solberg 1-2, with Kristofferrson setting a new lap record.
The weekend’s races started well for Kristoffersson, as the Swede recorded the fastest time on day one, and lead the fourth race in the first qualifying session. Ex-World RX champion Solberg finished in second, ahead of Loeb. But in the third qualifying session, while Kristoffersson finished first, he forgot to take his Joker lap, and incurred a 30-second time penalty. However, Solberg set the fastest time during the same session and led the intermediate classifications going into the second day of action with Kristoffersson second overall.
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson
‘A simple mistake’
Kristoffersson said: ‘Yesterday was about as good as it could get, but in Q3 we missed the Joker and that was really frustrating and maybe that cost me the chance of a better position in the final, but these things can happen. It was a simple mistake, nothing more. In Q4 we lost out because the track wasn’t as dry. In the final, I had a plan to stay behind Petter but unfortunately he had a slow puncture on the left rear and was losing a lot of time.
‘I managed to get past him on lap three which meant I had three laps to drive as fast as I could and I successfully closed on Timmy Hansen. We’ve made some good improvements with the car since Barcelona, especially with the launch and it feels great to give Volkswagen its first podium of the season,’ said the elated Swedish rallycross star.
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Portugal: Solberg
Slow puncture
That slow puncture put paid to Solberg’s chances, but the Norwegian still managed a sixth place result: ‘My plan was to get away from the line as quickly as possible. We had the speed all weekend and the plan was for Johan to stay behind me in the beginning of the race. But I picked up a slow puncture on the left-rear and I wanted to get out on the straight to let Johan past me. It came at the worst possible moment; I slowed him down and there was nothing I could do.
‘That’s tough, but these things can happen – punctures are part of our sport. Putting that behind us, I’m so happy with the way things are moving forward with the team and to be leading the championship is fantastic when you consider where we were just before the start of the year! It’s very good for me to have Johan alongside me in the team – he did a great job of safeguarding our position today (Sunday),’ enthused Solberg.
As in Barcelona, EKS’ Mattias Ekström took the overall spoils in Portugal, his second consecutive 2017 victory. He leads Kristoffersson – now in second place – by 14 points. With 42 points, sixth-placed Montalnegre finisher Solberg is two points behind Kristoffersson. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden’s consistent run in Portugal sees the team lead the overall team standings, with a nine-point lead over EKS.
The third round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of Hockenheim at the Hockenheimring in Germany on 6-7 May, where the rallycross series supports a weekend of German Touring Car (DTM) circuit action.
2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 58
2 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 44
3 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 42
4 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 30
5 Timo Scheider, Ford Fiesta RXS: 28
2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 86
2 EKS: 77
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 49
5 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 49
5 MJP Racing Team Austria: 35
Following February’s re-entry into the UK’s top 10 most popular cars chart, the Volkswagen Polo was once again in the most wanted chart for March. In seventh place, 10,711 Polos found new homes last month, according to the latest registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). That puts the small Volkswagen in eighth place for the year so far.
The Ford Fiesta once again ruled the roost, with 25,428 units moving from the nations’s forecourts. In general, the registration total of 562,337 vehicles was up 8.4 per cent on March 2016, as new car buyers took advantage of a change in Vehicle Excise Duty rates from 1 April 2017. In fact, March 2017 was an all-time high for the UK car market.
The UK’s top 10 most popular passenger cars during March 2017 and the year overall (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:
(The 2017 year-to-date top 10 most popular car absent from March 2017’s registration figures was the tenth-placed Nissan Juke with 12,935 cars registered.)
To help buoy sales further, Volkswagen has released a range of special offers to entice prospective Polo buyers. Volkswagen Retailers are currently offering an extended deposit contribution of £1,800 at 6.2 per cent APR for customers taking advantage of Volkswagen Financial Services’ Solutions Personal Contract Plan before 30 June 2017.*
* With Solutions Personal Contract Plan. 18s+. Subject to availability and status. T&Cs and exclusions apply. Offer available when ordered by 30 June 2017 from participating Retailers. Indemnities may be required. Offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. Accurate at time of publication (April 2017). Freepost Volkswagen Financial Services.
The PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercars got off to a flying start at the first round of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship, the World RX of Barcelona. The 570bhp Polos of Petter Solberg and Johan Kristoffersson were among the front-runners at the 1-2 April Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya event, with both cars reaching the Supercar Final.
Fastest qualifying time
As he lined up on the front row of the final, Kristoffersson had already claimed the fastest qualifying time in the first Free Practice session of the 2017 season, overtaking reigning champion Mattias Ekström. ‘That’s not a bad way to start the season for me and the team,’ smiled Kristoffersson. At the intermediate classification, US driver Ken Block was behind Kristoffersson, while the Swede’s team-mate Solberg was behind Block.
In the final race itself, Kristoffersson suffered a stalled start and had to eventually settle for sixth. Solberg fared better and finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a podium place: the Norwegian was was running third until Bakkerud overtook the two-time World RX champion on the first corner of the fourth lap. But, while there was no debut victory for the fledgling team, the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTIs showed incredible pace and fired a warning salvo of potential performances to come.
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Kristoffersson
‘Such strong pace’
Driver and team owner Solberg said: ‘I am so, so proud of what we have all achieved here. The last few months have been really crazy getting everything sorted out. But we are here and we are racing. We hoped to be on the pace and we hoped to show ourselves in a good light. It was a dream for us to have two cars in the final today and the dream came true. I’m so happy with the performance and couldn’t be happier with the team and for Johan, he showed such strong pace – he was the star driver for me.’
Kristoffersson shared his team-mate and boss’ outlook: ‘The team has put so much work in and everything is working so well from the first race. Naturally, I was a little disappointed with the final, I so wanted this result for the whole PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team – those guys worked so hard – but this is racing. The big thing is the pace we have from the car. It just makes me more determined do even better for the team at the second round.’
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg
2017 PSRX Volkswagen Sweden Polo GTI Supercar, World RX of Barcelona: Solberg
Ekström won the overall 2017 World RX of Barcelona event, and leads the Drivers’ Championship, while Kristoffersson lies in fourth place, and Solberg one place further down the standings. PSRX Volkswagen Sweden lead the teams’ standings however, as the Volkswagen Motorsport-supported outfit scooped the most points collectively. Both PSRX Volkswagen Sweden drivers are looking forward to the next round of the championship at Montalnegre on 22-23 April: Kristoffersson and Solberg have won the World RX of Portugal event three times each!
Also at Barcelona, the opening round of the five-event 2017 FIA European Rallycross Championship (Euro RX), was won by Kristoffersson’s former team-mate Anton Marklund. The Swede took his Marklund Motorsport Polo Supercar home first ahead of Hungary’s Tamas Pal Kiss and Ireland’s Ollie O’Donovan, who finished second and third respectively.
2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 29
2 Timo Scheider, Ford Fiesta RXS: 26
3 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 22
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 21
5 Petter Solberg, Volkswagen Polo GTI: 19
2017 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP, TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 = PSRX Volkswagen Sweden: 40
1 = EKS: 40
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 33
4 MJP Racing Team Austria: 30
5 Team Peugeot-Hansen: 20
With the launch of the sixth-generation Polo imminent, Volkswagen has announced it plans to start testing the ‘R5’ rally version of its new supermini later this year. Coincidentally, this will most likely in September, around the time the road-going version of car makes its first public appearance at the Frankfurt motor show. The new rally challenger will be eligible for the WRC2 support category of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Four years of dominance
Focusing on customer activities after the withdrawal from top-flight WRC activities after four years of dominance with the Polo R WRC from 2013-2016, the R5 car will be built by Volkswagen Motorsport at its Hanover base. Development of the car is already underway and as well as a four-wheel drive chassis, the jointly-developed VW/Škoda 1.6-litre turbocharged engine from the successful Fabia R5 is expected to appear.
The outfit’s experience of twelve major title wins will also play a vital part in the new Polo R5’s make-up. Development of the 315bhp, four-wheel drive all-conquering Polo R WRC followed a similar path: pre-competition components were tested on a fleet of Škoda Fabia S2000s which contested the 2011 and 2012 World Rally Championships ahead of the Polo R WRC’s debut on the 2013 Monte-Carlo Rally. The current Škoda Fabia R5’s engine pumps out around 280bhp and is being further optimised for the new Polo R5, which will be available to customer teams in 2018, following a summer homologation.
Although the new car will mark Volkswagen’s return to the FIA World Rally Championship, autosport.com has reported that the Polo R5 will not be fielded by a factory team. Škoda enters its Fabia R5 in rounds of the European Rally Championship, as well as the WRC2 support series. Continuing his link with the stillborn 2017 Polo R WRC, Marcus Grönholm will continue to help develop the R5 machine.
‘Tried-and-tested’
With development of the full-fat 2017 Polo R WRC almost complete, the plug was pulled on Volkswagen Motorsport’s official works WRC programme in November, but director Sven Smeets has commented that plans for customer teams to run the 2016 version of the title-winning car are underway: ‘There is customer interest in running the tried-and-tested Polo R WRC at various rallies. Our to-do list is very full,’ he said.
That to-do list includes a focus on the Golf GTI TCR – the touring car version of the legendary hatchback which runs in the International TCR series – as well as supporting global and world rallycross series. The 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship sees the outfit lend its technical support to Petter Solberg’s PSRX team, which, with the backing of Volkswagen Sweden, is fielding a pair of 570bhp Polo GTI Supercars in the twelve-round series: one each for Solberg himself and 2016 runner-up Johan Kristoffersson.
By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. More information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.
Recent comments