PoloDriver

The arrival of the new Polo GTI has certainly attracted a fair share of press attention here in the UK. At least three motoring magazines have features on it in their current issues; here’s a quick round-up of its latest appearances. Top Gear magazine tests it alongside its contemporaries and larger competitors in an 11-car, 30-page hot hatch mega test – the July 2010 issue might not be around for much longer, so grab a copy now – while Volkswagen Driver’s July 2010 GTI special features a brief drive of the new hot shot Polo. What Car? meanwhile tests the new Polo GTI against the Mini Cooper S, Renaultsport Clio 200, and the SEAT Ibiza Cupra in its August 2010 edition. The same copy of the magazine also features a brief drive of the latest Polo BlueMotion, while the 89bhp SEL TDI is tested in its annual towcar awards.

The Polo has prided itself on being a byword for quality in the supermini/small car sector. Over the past 35 years it has been critically acknowledged to be the benchmark for its competitors to aim for in terms of build quality and refinement, strengths that were present in the Series 1 model which debuted back in 1975. This latest Volkswagen TV commercial plays on these identifiable Polo traits to good – if slightly unbelievable – effect and also celebrates the car’s European Car of the Year 2010 win.

The latest UK car sales figures have been released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) and the good news is that the Polo remains rooted in the top 10 new cars chosen by UK buyers. UK new car registrations rose again in June, up 10.8%, recording an overall increase of 19.9% during the first half of 2010. Encouragingly, the market as a whole was up despite the end of the UK scrappage scheme, but volumes are expected to slip in the second half of the year.

‘The new car market continued to perform above expectations in June, with fleet sector registrations up 25% compared to this time last year. The results indicate improved business confidence and a strengthening economic recovery’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. The actual figures were up by 180,000 units to over 1.1 million units, with the last quarter seeing an 11.8% increase. June 2010 saw the 12th successive rise – 16% above the SMMT’s forecast in April – but volumes were still 8.5% off the 1999-2009 average.

The Polo still retained a foothold in the new cars top 10, selling 3923 units, putting it in 10th place, a fall of three places from May 2010. However, year-to-date figures place it in 6th position, ahead of the Mini and the Peugeot 207. The Vauxhall Astra was the best selling model in June, its first number one slot since February 2008. Ford’s Fiesta had the highest registrations over the first half of 2010.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for June 2010 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Vauxhall Astra: 10525 units (46,264, 3rd)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 9642 units (44,804, 4th)
3 Ford Fiesta: 8279 units (57,508, 1st)
4 Ford Focus: 6895 units (48,314, 2nd)
5 Nissan Qashqai: 5636 units
6 Mini: 4925 units (22,266, 8th)
7 Volkswagen Golf: 4486 units (31,578, 5th)
8 BMW 3 Series: 4363 units (20,432 units, 9th)
9 Vauxhall Insignia: 4090 units
10 Volkswagen Polo: 3932 units (26,484, 6th)

(The 2010 year-to-date best-sellers absent from June’s sales figures were the Peugeot 207 selling 24,252 units in 7th place, and the Renault Clio with 20,114 units, putting it in 10th place overall.)

Here’s the last of the four TV commercials in Volkswagen India’s ‘Made in India’ campaign for the Polo (watch them all on PoloDriverTV). Similarly to the other ads in the series, this 30-second clip uses comic humour to highlight a technical aspect of the car – in this case, the safety features – and to convey the message that the Indian-built Polo is tailor-made for Indian drivers, but has the might of German engineering behind it. The ‘Made in India’ campaign also features a wide range of innovative print, outdoor and digital media. The new Polo costs from RS 4.5 lakh, and will face heated competition from the Maruti Swift, Ford Figo, Honda Jazz, Fiat Punto and Hyundai i20.

Volkswagen Polo ‘Made in India’ TV campaign credits
Creative agency: DDB Mudra
Chief creative officer: Bobby Pawar
National creative director: Rajeev Raja
Copy: Rajeev Raja/Hemant Sharma
Art: Ajmal Mohammad
Planning: Michael Follet
Client servicing: Ashish Marwah, Jay Mehta, Punit Bhatt, Vaibhav Bhargava
Agency film department: Tapan Sharma, Anil Sonawane
Production house: Stink
Director: Christopher Von Reiss
Post-production: Redrum
Media agency: Mediacom

One of the defining features of the 1970s was the vibrant colour palette which affected everything from fashion to home furnishings. The bright, flat colours also identified the cars in that decade, too, and the Audi 50 certainly joined in the eye-popping fun. It’s by no means a definitive list, but we’ve updated our Audi 50 ‘Heritage’ pages to document the shades in which the car could be ordered. There are trim combinations, too, and delving deeper, there are some peculiar (and not particularly tasteful) mixes as a result. Ozeanicblau/Cognac from 1976 is one such pairing; Bahamablaumetallic/Tabak from 1978 is another. Point your mouse here to find out how tasteful (or not) an Audi 50 could be.