PoloDriver

The Volkswagen Polo has re-entered the UK’s top ten most popular cars chart, rounding out the countdown for October, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). A total of 2,753 Polos were registered in the UK during October, and is number sixth in the year-to-date list, with 37,106 units registered.

New regulation
The Polo slipped out of September’s UK most popular cars listing due to new regulation and the introduction of the new Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) certification. This legislation requires car manufacturers to test their complete model range to the new standards that measure fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from passenger cars, as well as their pollutant emissions.

However, with UK registrations down 20 per cent in September across the board, Volkswagen wasn’t the only manufacturer affected by the new legislation. But when the Polo did last appear in the SMMT’s list for August, it was at number three in the top ten rundown. We suspect some of the WLTP supply issues are still being felt.

Fighting back
Overall, UK registrations for October dipped 2.9 per cent compared to the same period last year, while year-to-date figures suggest a 7.2 per cent fall. The Ford Fiesta still tops the monthly and year-to-date charts, with 5,564 and 84,980 units registered respectively. Volkswagen’s evergreen Golf is fighting back, too, after it also disappeared from the top ten in September. In October it was back to second place, with 3,765 cars finding new homes. Volkswagen’s Tiguan was also a popular choice, with 3,297 registered.

The UK’s top 10 most popular cars during October 2018 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 5,564 (84,980, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 3,765 (55,927, 2nd)
3 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,339 (35,139, 9th)
4 Volkswagen Tiguan: 3,297
5 Ford Focus: 3,283 (43,505, 5th)
6 Mini: 3,208 (37,084, 7th)
7 Ford Kuga: 2,847 (35,327, 8th)
8 Nissan Qashqai: 2,799 (44,742, 4th)
9 BMW 3 Series: 2,773
10 Volkswagen Polo: 2,753 (37,106, 6th)

(The UK’s 2018 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from October’s registration figures were the third-placed Vauxhall Corsa and the tenth-placed Kia Sportage with 46,057 and 31,338 registrations respectively.)

Switched places
In South Africa, the latest sixth-generation Polo switched places with its fifth-generation Polo Vivo sibling and was the second best-selling passenger car during October 2018, with 2,824 units in new garages. The chart-topping Vivo shifted just 185 units more. In contrast with the UK, the Ford Fiesta was in seventh place, with just 888 cars registered.

Following July’s rise up the UK’s most popular cars chart, the Volkswagen Polo remains the third most favoured car in the country according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 3,207 units registered, the Polo was again one place below its 4,180-unit-selling Golf sibling. Also in a repeat of July’s tallies, the Polo is number six in the year-to-date list, too, while Ford’s all-ruling Fiesta once again topped the monthly list, with 4,522 registrations.

New small car entries in the August’s registration chart included the Honda Jazz at number seven (1,490 units), and the eighth-placed Suzuki Swift (1,390 units). Year-on-year demand grew 23.1 per cent according to the SMMT, with 94,094 cars joining the UK’s road network, although the year-to-date total is down by 4.2 per cent.

Registrations of alternatively-fuelled cars which rose 88.7 per cent (7,489 units), to take an 8.0 per cent market share. Supermini small cars such as the Polo remained the most popular buy. The UK’s top 10 most popular cars during August 2018 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 4,552 (67,189, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 4,180 (49,692, 2nd)
3 Volkswagen Polo: 3,207 (29,081, 6th)
4 Ford Kuga: 1,902 (26,462, 8th)
5 BMW 3 Series: 1,847
6 SEAT Leon: 1,506
7 Honda Jazz: 1,490
8 Suzuki Swift: 1,390
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1,390 (34,910, 3rd)
10 Kia Sportage: 1,321

(The UK’s 2018 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from August’s registration figures were the fourth-placed Ford Focus, the fifth-placed Vauxhall Corsa, the seventh-placed Mini, the ninth-placed Mercedes-Benz A Class and the tenth-placed Mercedes-Benz C Class with 34,045, 32,821, 29,945, 23,795 and 22,783 registrations respectively.)

In South Africa, one of the Polo’s many manufacturing bases, the latest sixth-generation model was again the best-selling passenger car during August 2018, with 3,414 units entering the market. In a repeat of July, the Polo Vivo – now based on the 2010-2017 fifth-generation Polo – was the runner-up, with 1,900 examples registered.

Hot in the wheel tracks of the new Polo Vivo, Volkswagen South Africa has revealed the latest version of the Polo Vivo Maxx. Just like the previous model, the latest Polo Vivo Maxx is based on the most recent version of the Cross Polo, in this case the superceded fifth-generation car.

Only available as a five-door hatchback, the new Polo Vivo Maxx is powered by a 104bhp / 77kW 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Looking for all the world like the previous-generation Cross Polo – even right down to the same 17-inch ‘Canyon’ alloy wheels and ‘Honey Orange’ paint colour.

Differentiated by its raised 15mm ride height, silver exterior mirror caps and roof rails, chrome exhaust trim and ‘Maxx’ sticker on the tailgate and rear doors, not to mention the lower body plastic cladding, the 2018 Polo Vivo Maxx is obviously not the same as its regular Polo Vivo relatives. Inside, there are aluminium pedals, front electric windows, manual air conditioning, a multifunction steering wheel, and six-speaker radio with SD / USB / Bluetooth / App Connect connectivity.

Thanks to the upgrade to the fifth-generation Polo base, the latest Polo Vivo Maxx gets similar safety kit to the standard Polo Vivo. Central locking, driver and front passenger airbags, ABS with EBD, Electronic Stability Control (ESC), front fog lights, a tyre pressure monitor, ISOFIX child seat mounting points, an immobiliser, and an interior ultrasonic alarm with motion sensor are standard.

Price of R225,000
The 2018 Polo Vivo Maxx is priced at R225,000 (VAT and emissions tax included)
, and comes as standard with a three-year / 120,000km warranty and six-year anti-corrosion warranty. Service intervals are set at 15,000km, while customers can also tailor their package with the optional Volkswagen Automotion Maintenance Plan and Volkswagen Automotion Service Plan.

The best-selling passenger car in South Africa during 2017, the over 22,000 Polo Vivos were sold last year. Manufactured at the Volkswagen South Africa plant in Uitenhage, over 11,000 second-generation Polo Vivos – based on the fifth-generation Volkswagen Polo – have been built since February.

The Volkswagen Polo was the most popular car in South Africa during February 2018, according to figures from the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA). The launch of the brand new sixth-generation Polo helped bolster registrations to 2,847 units.

A total of 6,247 outgoing and new Polos were also exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory. The traditional South African best-seller, the Volkswagen Polo Vivo – based on the fourth-generation European Polo – was replaced by a new version last month, too, so registrations were down to 2,044 units. But, with the new-generation Vivo being a pared-down version of the outgoing fifth-generation model, you can expect those totals to rise once more.

Staying in South Africa, the latest Polo has claimed Car magazine’s ‘Top 12 Best Buys 2018 – Small Hatchback’ award, with the Polo Vivo and Mazda 2 as runners-up. Other contenders included the Kia Rio, Renault Clio, and Suzuki Baleno. Volkswagen South Africa also scooped the ‘Top 12 Best Buys 2018 – Company of the Year’ award.

The sixth-generation Polo has also collected the Auto Motor und Sport ‘Best Cars 2018 – Sub-Compact Cars’ gong, voted for by readers of the magazine. Over 33 per cent of the category vote went to the small VW. Other Volkswagen winners were the latest versions of the Up and Golf, taking the ‘Best Cars 2018 – Mini Cars’ and ‘Best Cars 2018 – Compact Cars’ category victories respectively. A total of 378 models in eleven categories were on the nominations list to be voted the best cars of 2018.

The Volkswagen Polo Vivo has been phenomenally successful for Volkswagen South Africa, with 193,343 examples sold since its introduction in 2010. Replacing the Mk 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, the first-generation Polo Vivo was itself based on a past VW: the revised Mk 4 Polo first introduced in 2005. Now, after eight years as the best-selling car in South Africa, it’s time for the second-generation Polo Vivo.

Volkswagen South Africa states that the Polo Vivo’s key attributes are ‘ affordability, German build quality, comfort, safety, and space’, and those characteristics are about to be heightened, as the new Polo Vivo is based on the outgoing fifth-generation Polo, first sold in 2009, and only just out of production in Europe. Where the previous Polo Vivo was offered in hatchback and sedan (saloon) body styles, the new car will only be available as a hatchback, at least initially. And only with petrol engines.

Almost identical in appearance to the revised Polo ‘6C’ from 2014, the 2018 Polo Vivo has a slightly different lower front bumper housing and redesigned tail lights, but that’s about it. Six colours borrowed from the new sixth-generation Polo freshen up the Polo Vivo’s looks: Flash Red, Pure White, Limestone Grey Metallic, Reef Blue Metallic, Reflex Silver Metallic, and Deep Black Pearl Effect. The Polo Vivo is 3,972mm long, 1,682mm wide and 1,462mm tall, and has 280 litres of luggage capacity with the rear seats in place.

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo

Polo Vivo Trendline
The new Polo Vivo range is available in four trim levels: Trendline, Comfortline, Highline, and GT. The Trendline is available with a 74bhp / 55kW 1.4-litre engine only, and is equipped with air conditioning, front electric windows, power steering, tinted windows, ‘140G’ four-speaker radio with SD / USB / Bluetooth connectivity, driver and passenger airbags, and ISOFIX child seat mounting points. On the outside, the Polo Vivo Trendline has 14-inch steel wheels and black door handles and mirrors. Options include cruise control, front fog lights, and 15-inch ‘Estrada’ alloy wheels.

Polo Vivo Comfortline
The Polo Vivo Comfortline builds on the specification of the Trendline and adds body-coloured door handles and mirrors, and front fog lights. Inside, there’s a multifunction steering wheel and display computer, ‘City’ cloth trim and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. Options include cruise control, leather trim, 15-inch ‘Estrada’ alloy wheels and a ‘340G’ colour touchscreen infotainment system with ‘App-Connect’ functionality. The Polo Vivo Comfortline is available with 1.4-litre 84bhp / 63kW and 1.6-litre 103bhp / 77kW engines driven through five-speed manual and auto Tiptronic gearboxes respectively.

Polo Vivo Highline
Sitting above the Comfortline, the Polo Vivo Highline offers ‘Cable’ seat trim, a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, 16-inch ‘Rivazza’ alloy wheels, and a six-speaker ‘340G’ colour touchscreen infotainment system with ‘App-Connect’ functionality. The Polo Vivo Highline is only available with the 103bhp / 77kW engine.

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT

Polo Vivo GT
Just as with the outgoing Polo Vivo, a sporty ‘GT’ model sits atop the new Polo Vivo tree. Building on the Highline, the GT additionally adds 17-inch ‘Mirabeau’ alloy wheels, black exterior side mouldings, rear hatch spoiler, chrome-trimmed exhaust pipe, lowered sports suspension, aluminium pedals, cruise control, front sports seats, and ‘Space’ seat trim. A smattering of ‘GT’ badges on the front, sides and hatch also distinguish the Polo Vivo GT from its siblings. Powered exclusively by a 1.0-litre turbocharged ‘TSI’ engine allied to a six-speed manual gearbox, the Polo Vivo GT has 108bhp / 81kW, and top speed of 121mph / 196km/h.

‘Low cost of ownership’
All Polo Vivos feature ABS, an alarm, and remote central locking, while almost 76 per cent of parts are locally sourced. With the sixth-generation Polo now rolling off Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage production lines, it made sense to put the tooling of the fifth-generation car to good use, and Volkswagen South Africa states that ‘this ensures that parts remain affordable and contribute to the overall low cost of ownership’. The outgoing Polo Vivo enjoyed the best residual value in its market and the cost of ownership over a 3-year cycle makes it one of the most affordable cars to own in the South African market.

Find out more details about the new Volkswagen Polo Vivo and download a PDF brochure for the new Polo Vivo here.

2018 VOLKSWAGEN SOUTH AFRICA NEW POLO VIVO: RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICES

Trendline
1.4 55kW, five-speed manual, 5dr: R179,900

Comfortline
1.4 63kW, five-speed manual, 5dr: R192,000
1.6 77kW, Tiptronic auto, 5dr: R221,900

Highline
1.6 77kW, five-speed manual, 5dr: R214,900

GT
1.0 81kW, six-speed manual, 5dr: R245,000

All prices include VAT and emissions tax. The new Volkswagen South Africa Polo Vivo models come with a 3-year / 120,000km warranty and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. Service intervals are 15,000km, and a Volkswagen Automotion Maintenance Plan as well as a Volkswagen Automotion Service Plan are available as options.