Volkswagen says no to hot 200bhp Polo R
It’s the news we’ve not been waiting for. While the Polo GTI with 178bhp will be speeding into the junior hot hatch market later this year, the much-rumoured Polo R will not be following it. At least that’s the story according to UK motoring weekly Auto Express, which states that bosses at the German giant’s new performance division have vetoed a new 200bhp-plus Polo to take on the Renaultsport Clio 200, the current junior hot hatch king. We’d heard it rumoured, but didn’t want to believe it.
The confirmation comes as VW launches its new performance division, Volkswagen R GmbH. Set to be what M Division is to BMW and AMG to Mercedes-Benz, the new company will focus on producing the hottest versions of regular models. The new engineering-focused division already bears fruit; the 269bhp Golf R and 264bhp Scirocco R (pictured above) are both products of the R team. R-Line models with cosmetic upgrades but no mechanical tweaks will also originate from the newly-created division.
Based not far from Volkswagen’s huge Wolfsburg corporate headquarters at Warmenau, Volkswagen R GmbH has more than 350 staff, meaning that super-performance-focused cars can be developed and built from the ground up. Future projects include a production version of the Detroit 2009 motor show wowing BlueSport roadster, but not, it would seem, an ultimate performance Polo.
Recent comments