PoloDriver

Famed design house Italdesign has been part of the Volkswagen Group since the middle of last year, and the first fruits of the companies’ joint cooperation were unveiled last night on the eve of the 81st Geneva Motor Show. Leaked online last week, the two concepts are both less than four metres long, and feature twin-drive hybrid drivetrains. But, most intriguingly, does the Tex, the sportier of the the two models – the other, the Go! is a compact MPV, maybe another future Polo variant – point to a new spin on the ‘80s Polo coupé? The current Polo is 3970mm long, and lacks a true out-and-out sports focused model, so could the Tex fill the void and be a baby brother to the successful Scirocco?

Building on current and reported future Volkswagen design cues, we think the Tex already looks like a slightly edgier Polo, with echoes of the current model in its side profile. The front grille is an even slimmer version of that seen on current VWs, while the rear features a glass hatchback, with hidden rear lights (first shown on the Up! concept from 2007) and a mounted blade-type spoiler. A full-length panoramic glass roof lets light into the brown and read leather interior, while deeply-sculpted ‘quarterlight’ windows provide a new Volkswagen design flourish. Large spider-like multi-spoke wheels fill the pronounced wheelarches, while the red pinstripe evokes that of the original 1982 Polo coupé.

Powered by a Twin Drive plug-in engine built by Volkswagen, the Tex showcases modern hybrid technology. A 1.4-litre turbocharged engine is paired with a 114bhp electric motor, which, when used together, can produce 295lb ft of torque, enough for 0-62mph in around six seconds and a top speed of 137mph. All this power is driven through a seven-speed DSG gearbox, with paddles on the steering wheel, as seen on the latest Polo GTI. As well as being a sporty powerhouse, the Tex is also eco-minded, too, and can travel around 20 miles in all-electric mode only. If given the green light for production, both the Tex and Go! could be on the market by 2018. The full Italdesign/VW press release follows.

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While the speculation over the Polo’s move to the US continues, Brazilian car magazine Revista Autoesporte seems to have the clearest rendering yet of the upcoming saloon version. While the new notchback is rumoured to appear in the Chinese, European and Russian markets, it’s the North and South American territories that have been the most reported on in recent months as possible sales destinations.

We still don’t know of course if Volkswagen are going to take the jump and put the boot in (or technically, on) the fifth-gen Polo, and while spyshots are few and far between, the illustration on the front of Revista Autoesporte (alongside photos of the facelifted CrossFox and SpaceFox) definitely seems to resemble a Polo. Unfortunately, there’s no confirmation, just the tag ‘Anti-Civic’, which would point to a sedan-style car with the Polo’s footprint. The waiting game continues.

The internet is awash with stories about the notchback version of the Polo, currently under development for launch next year. CarAdvice in Australia is one of the latest places to find new renderings of the 2010 sedan, and they’re the best yet, looking almost official. But, the images shown here are depicted in Auto Bild’s ‘Cars of Tomorrow’ online feature.

Meanwhile, the German Car Blog reports that Volkswagen UK have made a decision not to sell the saloon version of the new car, echoing the decision the company made in 2003. The last version of the three-box Polo was sold on UK shores in 2001.

[Images: Auto Bild]

We’d been expecting the new Polo family to grow, but maybe not quite this quickly. The hatchback has only just gone on sale, but already Secret New Cars has posted spyshots of the saloon version of the fifth-generation model.

Yes it’s true, there’s still lots of camouflage, but there’s no doubt that the car underneath the cladding is a Polo – just look at the strong shoulder line crease. Look carefully at the license plates, too; they show the car was registered in Gifhorn, a town close to VW’s Wolfsburg HQ. The website’s photographer caught the car during its first test sessions in the Austrian Grossglockner.

The new Polo Sedan was mooted to go into production in India for the local market, but Brazil could also now be on the cards. Rolling into showrooms in the later half of 2010, it’s not yet known whether the car will come to Europe or the UK (more than likely called ‘Limousine’ and ‘Saloon’ in those respective markets).

The US market prefers saloons over hatchbacks, so it could also head there, confirming reports that the Polo is about to go Stateside to complement the best-selling Jetta, and give Volkswagen its much-needed compact car segment contender.

[Source: Secret New Cars. Rendering: www.theophiluschin.com]