PoloDriver

The Polo Vivo’s reign as the best-selling car in South Africa continues. Figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) reveal that 2768 Polo Vivos found buyers, well over a third of Volkswagen’s total sales figures of 7292 units for March 2011. The latest fifth-generation Polo 6R –  recently announced as the 2011 South African Car of the Year – did well, too, selling 1823 units. And all this Volkswagen success in a market which increased by 3.3% when compared to February 2011. Figures faired even better than in March 2010 – 35,167 new passenger cars took to South African roads in the same month this year, up 23.6%. Year-to-date sales of new passenger cars in 2011 are 25.5% above the same first quarter sales period in 2010. With both valuable Polo brands posting such impressive sales figures, Volkswagen South Africa is a truly dominant force in the local small car market.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa captured 20.7% of the passenger market in March. Polo Vivo was once again the top seller. Polo, sold 1823 units during March, giving the VW brand a dominant share of the small car, entry segment,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. 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. Available as both a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines, two trim levels are available: base and Trendline. Costing from R104,065 for the 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo, built from 2005 to 2009.

It may not have gone quite to plan last weekend (25-26 March) for the BP Volkswagen rally team, just missing out on a first place at the opening round of the 2011 South African National Rally Championship, the Total Tour Natal Rally, but the team still claimed second, third and fourth places. Ultimate victory went to the Ford Fiesta team of Conrad Rautenbach and Nicolas Klinger. Jan Habig and Robert Paisley finished behind Rautenback and Klinger, while Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson crossed the line in third place, while Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries made up the top four. The blue-bonneted Polo S2000 of Giniel de Villiers and Ralph Pitchford crossed the finishing line in eighth position, making it a full-house end for the BP Volkswagen team.

Volkswagen also claimed the Manufacturer’s title at the event, with six Polo S2000s in the top 10 finishers. Then there were the privateer entries of Nicholas Ryan and co-driver Geoff Tyrer, and Japie van Niekerk and Dave Lewkowitz who rallied their cars to sixth and ninth overall respectively. ‘Getting all four of our cars to the finish was important,’ said Mike Barnard who manages the BP Volkswagen team. ‘Hard work and reliability have always been important and I’m glad to see it has remained the status quo into the new season.’ The Total Tour Natal was the first outing for the new BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo S2000 rally car. The BP Volkswagen Polo Vivo S1400 of Megan Verlaque and Lirene du Plessis also debuted as the young development team tackled their first rally together, producing a class-winning and impressive performance.

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Not content with the Polo Vivo sweeping allcomers in the South African new car sales charts, Volkswagen wants the same in the world of motorsport. Its star of the 2011 national rally championship will be the brand new Polo Vivo rally car, which, as tradition dictates, is lime green in colour, reflecting BP’s Ulimate fuel branding. All Polo Vivo S2000s feature the new body work of the Polo Vivo road car modified for the rough and tumble rally stages, while new technical specifications lie beneath the flared wheelarches and spoilers. With six consecutive national rally championship titles the BP Volkswagen Rally team is ready to start the 2011 season with a two-day, 14-stage round in KwaZula Natal, beginning on Friday 25 March.

Launching the latest generation of its Polo S2000 rally car, Volkswagen Motorsport also announced changes to the team for the new season. 2010 championship title holders Enzo Kuun and Guy Hodgson stay for 2011, as do 2009 winners Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries. National champion Jan Habig will be partnered by newcomer Robert Paisley. In the fourth car will be South African Dakar competitor Giniel de Villiers, who will team up with co-driver Ralph Pitchford. The team has high expectations of the new car and in early season testing, it appears more than capable of satisfying the challenging demands of the upcoming events. The BP S2000 Polos will face strong competition from the outset of the season, with class rivals the Ford Fiestas, the new Peugeot 207 entries and traditional rivals, Toyota, all vying for top honours.

[Source: Volkswagen Motorsport // Images: mcondon@motorpics]

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Will the success of the Polo Vivo ever come to an end? Even though it sold fewer units, the South African-only Vivo was once again the biggest-selling car brand in the country, with 2945 examples finding homes. The nearest challenger for the Vivo’s crown, the Toyota Yaris, was some way short of the mark, selling 2552 units, according to the latest figures from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). The association reported that total industry sales for the first two months of 2011 were 21.9% ahead of the corresponding two months in 2010. Special incentive packages offered by a number of manufacturers and importers during February also contributed to the rise in sales volumes.

‘Volkswagen Group South Africa captured 21.7% of the passenger market in February – with 7421 units sold. Polo Vivo was once again the top seller, with sales of 2945 units. The New Polo sold 1704 units in February,” said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa. 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. Available as both a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines, two trim levels are available: base and Trendline. Costing from R104,065 for the 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2011 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo, built from 2005 to 2009.

Continuing its 2010 sales success, the Polo Vivo once again topped the passenger car market in South Africa last month. Volkswagen Group South Africa sold 2986 Polo Vivos in January 2011, comfortably securing the number one selling position. The company also leads the market in both total vehicle and passenger car sales, in a market up by 24% when compared to December 2010. ‘Volkswagen Group South Africa captured 24.1% of the passenger market – starting the New Year on a very positive note,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen Group South Africa.

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. Available as both a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines, two trim levels are available: base and Trendline. Costing from R104,065 for the 1.4 hatchback to R156,220 for the 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo, built 2005 to 2009.