PoloDriver

After a 28-year run, production of the Polo GTI has been brought to a halt. The model has been discontinued to give way to the all-electric ID Polo GTI, which is set to debut later in 2026.

Rumours began to surface in November, with website speedme.ru stating the hot Polo was beginning to disappear from global Volkswagen website configurators. We can confirm this is the case, and the Volkswagen UK website configurator only lists used models for sale. We asked Volkswagen UK directly if the car had been discontinued, and a spokesperson told us, ‘As we celebrate 50 years of the iconic GTI badge, the Polo GTI is making way for our first ever all-electric GTI model, the ID Polo GTI. The ID Polo GTI is set to make its world premiere later this year, with UK sales commencing in 2026.

‘Thrilling future’
The spokesperson continued, ‘This new model promises to move the hot hatchback game on significantly in terms of design, excitement, and performance, ensuring a thrilling future for GTI enthusiasts. The current Polo GTI is still available through our UK Retailer network, while stocks last. We encourage interested customers to reach out to their nearest Volkswagen Retailer for more information.’

Even though the ID Polo GTI will arrive in showrooms after a debut later this year, we can only assume that the discontinuation of the petrol-powered Polo GTI is to give its new zero-emissions counterpart some breathing space ahead of its arrival. The first electric Volkswagen GTI will have 223bhp from its front-mounted motor, with a driving range, we would imagine, of around 250 miles. Volkswagen states that the less powerful 208bhp ID Polo with the same motor and 52kWh battery as the ID Polo GTI has an official range of up to 280 miles.

There’s also no escaping the fact that basing an iconic badge’s new chapter on a less important model – the Golf GTI has been the halo GTI model for the past 50 years and remains so – is less risky for Volkswagen, too. But whatever the motivation, the ID Polo GTI has a great deal resting on its ‘Pure Positive’-designed and shapely shoulders.

Final cars
speedme.ru reports the final combustion-engined Polo GTIs are now being built at Volkswagen Group South Africa’s Kariega plant – the only factory to produce Polos destined for European and Asia-Pacific markets. According to the website, final cars will roll off the line in week 12, 16-22 March 2026, presumably the fulfilment of the last order allocations.

It brings to an end the availability of the second-longest Volkswagen model to wear the GTI badge after the Golf. In 2026, both that car and the badge itself celebrate 50 years since either first appeared, with the special edition Golf GTI Edition 50 marking the golden anniversary.

Polo GTI Edition 20
The hot petrol-powered Polo’s exit after 28 years will be marked by a special edition, in South Africa, at least. Volkswagen Group Africa began production of the Polo GTI in 2006, and so is releasing the Polo GTI Edition 20. In the same vein as the Polo GTI Edition 25 released in 2023 to celebrate 25 years of the Polo GTI globally, the GTI Edition 20 is largely a cosmetic revamp. The most noticeable feature is the Crystal Ice Blue exterior colour choice, the same shade as offered on the regular Polo Edition 50 special model, first introduced in 2025 to commemorate the Polo’s 50th anniversary.

In addition, the Polo GTI Edition 20 gets a black contrast roof and wing mirror caps, a special ‘20’ decal stripe on each side of the car, all of those almost identical in idea to the Polo GTI Edition 25. A set of 18-inch ‘Faro’ alloy wheels – previously a cost-option upgrade – are also thrown in. Set to be introduced in March 2026, the price of the last Polo GTI special edition hasn’t yet been announced.

It’s perhaps a whimper rather than a bang – which some would cruelly say sums up the Polo GTI’s life – but it’s nice to see the second-longest running combustion-engined GTI model go out with at least a little sense of occasion. Yes, it’s with a tear in our eye that we wave the regular Polo GTI into the sunset, but we’re also looking forward to the new chapter in the hot Polo’s story the ID Polo GTI will begin. We hope the promise is delivered upon; we shouldn’t have too long to wait.

Following the announcement in September that the good-looking ID 2all concept will enter production as the ID Polo, Volkswagen has announced full details of the technical specification of its smallest – for now – electric car. Released at a covered prototype design and drive workshop event based in Barcelona, the ID Polo will have an eventual choice of four power outputs and two batteries.

Set to be stripped of its Polo Harlequin-inspired camouflage in April or May 2026, the ID Polo will be available with three power outputs: 113bhp (85kW), 132bhp (99kW), and 208bhp (155kW). The most powerful model of the new all-electric Polo family, the 223bhp (166kW) ID Polo GTI will arrive later in the year. Power for all ID Polos will come from the new latest generation APP290 motor. Here’s what else you need to know.

What batteries will the ID Polo have?
Lower-powered 113 and 132bhp models will be fitted with a 37kWh (net) lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, the first time this chemistry has been used on an electric Volkswagen. Both the 208bhp ID Polo and 223bhp ID Polo GTI will come with a 52kWh (net) battery that uses nickel manganese cobalt chemistry, a more traditional set-up used on electric cars for over a decade.

The LFP battery can be charged at DC rapid-charging points at up to 90kW of power, while the NMC unit can accept up to 130kW. The ultimate range of the 52kWh ID Polo is up to 280 miles, eclipsing the official distances offered by the larger battery models of notable rivals such as the Fiat Grande Panda Electric (44kWh, 199 miles), Renault 5 E-Tech Electric (52kWh, 248 miles), and the Vauxhall Corsa Electric (51kWh, 266 miles).

What about the platform technology?
Not only does the ID Polo set a Volkswagen electric car precedent by using a ‘heritage’ name, but it’s also the first VW EV to use a front-wheel drive platform. Based on a development of the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electric Drive Matrix named MEB+, the new drivetrain allows for the reduction of both components and weight. This permeates through to cost savings which is essential for the ID Polo to reach its target price of €25,000.

Whichever battery is specified, the PowerCo-produced unified cell unit is integrated into the car’s flat underbody. Using new cell-to-pack technology, as the name suggests, the cells are combined directly into the battery pack itself, rather than via an intermediate step using module housings. This has the double benefits of reducing both weight and price, and increasing energy density and potential range.

The ID Polo has been developed with a collaborative approach within the Brand Group Core of the wider Volkswagen Group. Spanish brands Seat and Cupra led the new ‘Electric Urban Car Family’ project, which also includes the Cupra Raval, Skoda Epiq and forthcoming Volkswagen ID Cross SUV. Key technologies such as the chassis, drive, steering, software, and assistance systems stem from the MEB+ platform. The Spanish connection continues into production, too: the ID Polo will be built at the Seat and Cupra factory in Martorell, just as previous Polos were produced at the Volkswagen Navarra plant in Pamplona until July 2024.

Is the ID Polo the same size as a Polo?
The need for less installation space pays dividends, too. Compared to the current MQB-based internal combustion-engined Polo, passengers have an extra 19mm of interior length, while the boot can hold 435 litres of luggage. This is up by 24 per cent compared with the petrol-powered Polo’s 351 litres, and with the rear seats folded down, the load volume of the ID Polo increases 1,243 litres – over 100 litres more than the combustion Polo. Overall, the ID Polo is comparable in size to the petrol Polo.

*37kWh battery **1.0 TSI 95, 7-speed DSG

Not only is the technology powering the ID Polo the very latest in Volkswagen powertrain innovations, next-generation assistance systems also make their way to the new electric member of the Polo family. The enhanced Travel Assist system offers traffic light and stop sign recognition, assisted lane changes on motorways, as well as lateral and longitudinal guidance.

The design of the ID Polo was carried out at the Volkswagen Design Centre in Wolfsburg, and the car is the first production model to feature VW’s new ‘Pure Positive’ design language. You don’t need to strip away the camouflage that much to see that very little has changed from the ID 2all concept of 2023. The covered prototype drive cars still feature covered dashboards so the interior remains under wraps for now, but we suspect it won’t be long until the covers are taken from that, too.

When will the ID Polo be available to buy?
The market launch of the ID Polo is expected to be in spring 2026, with first deliveries arriving with customers in the autumn. The Volkswagen France website opened a priority ‘access’ programme – imaginatively named ‘ID Polo Access’ – since 23 September, where interested parties can register their interest in the new car. Additional benefits include priority access to the ordering of ID models – ID Polo order books are said to open in May 2026 – a €500 WeCharge charging credit, ‘exclusive content’ (including behind the scenes information on the ID Polo project) and ‘experiences and surprises’. ID Polo Access is billed as ‘a way to transform an automobile launch into a true shared experience.’

It also, excitingly, states that the full reveal of the electric Polo will be in February 2026. The French Volkswagen website also lists available trim levels as ID Polo Trend (113bhp/37kWh), ID Polo Life and ID Polo Style (both cars 132bhp/208bhp and 37kWh/52kWh). It also says the larger battery models will arrive first, in mid-September 2026, with the smaller battery versions due for a mid-November arrival. The ID Polo GTI is said to be available from March 2027. We watch and wait…

There’s no denying that the ID Polo has a huge responsibility resting on its – neatly designed – shoulders. It has to reset the public’s perception of Volkswagen’s range of ID-badged electric cars and their associated foibles, whether that be digital controls or a lack of ‘character’; it is the first VW to carry a ‘heritage’ name into the electric age; and it has to be an entry point into the zero-emission Volkswagen family.

Are there other new electric VWs to come?
‘The ID Polo marks the beginning of a new generation of Volkswagen: with a fresh design, intuitive operation, top quality and first-class driving characteristics – and finally with a proper name again,’ said Thomas Schäfer, member of the board of management of Volkswagen AG, Brand Group Core and CEO of the Volkswagen brand. ‘With an entry-level price starting at €25,000, we are making electric mobility accessible to many people in Europe. And this is just the beginning – in 2026, we will launch six new electric models.’

The ID Polo is one of four new Volkswagen electric models in the small car and compact segment, and a fleet of almost production-ready ID prototypes is undergoing final testing in numerous regions worldwide. With the full exterior and interior reveal of the car imminent, specification details for UK models will be released in the coming months. This year might have been a celebration for the Polo’s 50th anniversary but with the arrival of both the ID Polo and ID Polo GTI in 2026, the party isn’t over quite yet.

In a very welcome, exciting, and surprising, but perhaps not totally unexpected, announcement, Volkswagen has confirmed that the Polo name will carry on into the electric age. The arrival of the ID Polo, a fully electric version of the supermini, spearheads the transfer of established Volkswagen nameplates to its ID family.

In equally exciting news, the ID Polo is the series production version of the ID 2all concept car from 2023. At the time of the concept’s reveal, we asked if it was an electric Polo – even drawing comparisons to the Mk IV Polo – and are delighted that our initial thoughts have been confirmed. The icing on this very important cake is that underneath its heavy camouflage, the ID 2all looks to have been turned into the ID Polo virtually unchanged. Even the wheels are the same as the concept. It’s quite a lot to take in.

ID Polo GTI
However, not content with all that, Volkswagen has also revealed the ID GTI Concept – itself based on the ID 2all – will become the ID Polo GTI in production. And as with the ID Polo, the looks of the concept appear to have been carried onto the car we’ll see on the roads next year. Showing Volkswagen’s new ‘Pure Positive’ design language, no interior images or complete technical specifications have been released, but the ID Polo GTI is said to have 264bhp, while the ID Polo will have a starting price under €25,000.

Volkswagen says that the new naming concept will, ‘provide better orientation for customers,’ and that, ‘ID family and models with conventional drives will be offered in parallel.’ We’re taking that to mean that the combustion-engined Polo will continue until 2030 at least, its scheduled production end date.

Life-extending reprieve
Given a life-extending reprieve in 2024 as Euro 7 vehicle emission regulations were relaxed, the Polo exported to left and right-hand drive European and Asia-Pacific markets is now produced solely in South Africa at Volkswagen’s Kariega factory, the plant being the only exporter for these models in the Volkswagen Group. Newly built Polos leave Kariega for 38 markets around the world.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, 119,336 Polos have been exported from Kariega, the car’s biggest markets being Germany, France and the United Kingdom. On top of this, the Polo was South Africa’s most exported vehicle during 2024. Production of the Polo in Europe stopped on 2 July 2024, 40 years since the first model built at the Volkswagen Navarra factory in Pamplona, Spain, rolled off the lines on 20 March 1984.

A total of 8,422,161 Polos have been manufactured at the Landaben plant, and the facilities are now being readied for the start of production of two electric models in 2026, one Škoda and one Volkswagen, one of which may even be the ID Polo…

‘Just the beginning’
Commenting on the new naming strategy – more familiar-named and heritage-steeped models will follow the ID Polo – Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, Head of the Brand Group Core and member of the Group Board of Management said, ‘Our model names are firmly anchored in people’s minds. They stand for a strong brand and embody characteristics such as quality, timeless design and technologies for all. That’s why we’re moving our well-known names into the future. The ID Polo is just the beginning.’

The Volkswagen brand’s more established names will move to the electric portfolio with each new model generation. Alongside, all vehicles with ‘conventional’ (internal combustion) drivetrains will continue to run under their previous and long-standing names. The aim, Volkswagen says, is to help customers navigate the brand’s product range more easily in the future.

Polo’s 50th anniversary year
The ID Polo reveal comes during the Polo’s 50th anniversary year. Martin Sander, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and Aftersales, said, ‘Our cars often accompany people for many years – they shape memories and stages of life. A model like the Polo shows just how powerful a name can be: it stands for reliability, personality and history. That’s precisely why we are again giving our ID models names that arouse emotions and are anchored in people’s everyday lives. Electric mobility should not only be progressive but also accessible and personal.

‘We are bringing one of our strongest brands, the GTI, into the electric world, too,’ added Sander. ‘Launching in 2026, the ID GTI Concept will go into production as the ID Polo GTI. It will offer outstanding dynamics and plenty of driving pleasure.’ This is significant, as the first electric GTI will not be a Golf, but a Polo, presumably as it’s a slightly less hallowed model with less risk attached. Whatever the reason, it’s a huge landmark in the Polo story.

Camouflaged public debut
The ID Polo and ID Polo GTI will make their first global public appearance at the IAA Mobility motor show in Munich, from 8-14 September. They will still be wearing their striking camouflage – the ID Polo’s pop art-inspired wrap draws on elements from the special anniversary livery unveiled on a Polo rally car in April – with presumably an unwrapped debut coming later in the year, but you can strip the camouflage away…

Speaking of the anniversary-liveried rally Polo, computer-generated teaser videos have trailled a special ‘Polo Project Drift’ event taking place on 5 September at 16:00 CEST (15:00 UK BST), which we take to be around, and part of, all the various Volkswagen IAA Mobility activities.

On 7 September, Volkswagen will unveil the concept car for an electric compact SUV, the new ID Cross Concept. The production version of this – the ID Cross – will be launched at the end of 2026 as the electric counterpart to the current Polo-based T-Cross. Exciting times.