PoloDriver

No sooner had the Polo Saloon been unveiled in Moscow, news filtered out that it is heading to India in the autumn of 2010, under the ‘Vento’ name. We’d suspected as much when news stories leaked the possible change of moniker a few weeks ago, and a market launch has always been on the cards for what many car manufacturers see as one of the world’s emerging sales markets. To be built in the company’s Chakan, Pune plant (the same factory where the local market Polo hatchback is manufactured), engine choice is to be the same as the Eastern European cars.

Two 1.6-litre engines will provide the motive power (we suspect both the petrol and diesel units to have 104bhp), while manual and automatic transmissions – the latter for petrol models only – will be offered. Positioned as a premium entry level Sedan in the country, and Volkswagen say that the car has been completely designed to the needs and expectations of the Indian consumer. Standard equipment includes air-conditioning, ABS and a raft of airbags, while like the Polo hatchback, the car boasts higher ground clearance for the Indian market over its European relatives.

The Vento (Italian for ‘wind’) will be the seventh model from the Brand Volkswagen for the Indian market and takes a name from Volkswagen’s past. The third-generation Golf saloon was called Vento in when it arrived in 1992, replacing the Jetta. The fifth-generation Polo is rumoured to be heading to the US (where, coincidentally, the Jetta name is still going strong) – is this the car that could take the Polo name Stateside? Indian motoring magazine Quarter Mile has a special preview feature on the Vento in their June 2010 issue. Download the magazine’s special online version here.

May 2010 saw a total of 25,724 new passenger cars sold in South Africa. The total number of new passenger car sales in the country increased by 9.1% when compared to April 2010, and by 36.3% when compared to May 2009, bringing the year-to-date May market in 2010 to a level 28.3% above the same period for 2009. And the top-selling car of May 2010? The new Polo Vivo, with 2546 units finding homes.

‘Volkswagen of South Africa continued to dominate the passenger car market with 22.6% share and total sales of 5808 units. We are very encouraged by the reaction from the market to our new entry level Polo Vivo,’ said Mike Glendinning, Director of Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen of South Africa. ‘The new car sales cycle therefore appears set to continue growing through 2010, but possibly characterised by slower rates of growth during the second half of the year than what have been experienced so far in 2010,’ he continued.

The Polo Vivo, which was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, was also the country’s best-selling passenger car brand in April 2010, shifting 2187 units. Available as both a hatchback and saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre units, two trim levels are available: base and Trendline. Costing from R101,500 for the lowliest 1.4 model, the Polo Vivo is based on the facelifted version of the Series 4 Polo, built from 2005 to 2009.

The Rally of South Africa took its toll on the field of racers over the weekend of 29-30 May. Only 23 finishers crossed the line at Ermelo, with the BP Volkswagen Polo S2000 of Jan Habig and Ralph Pitchford in a hard fought second place, just 0.7 seconds behind the leaders Johnny Gemmell and Drew Sturrock and their Toyota Auris. A fantastic result considering that, at the end of the first day, the VW pair were over 1 minute and 48 seconds off the leaders and 79 seconds adrift of the eventual rally winners.

The second day proved more profitable, with the gap to the front of the pack narrowed to 46.8 seconds by the end of stage one. After six stages it was down to 38.0, and by stage eight had dropped further to 25 seconds. A further fall to 14.3 seconds had happened by the end of stage nine, while at the end of stage 10 it was up to 19.2 seconds, setting the scene for a nailbiting finish. No-one was quite sure who had actually claimed the rally victory until the cars pulled up at the podium. Analysing the list of fastest stage times, Habig and Pitchford claimed three stage wins.

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Announced back in February, the latest incarnation of the CrossPolo (Dune in the UK) has gone on sale in South Africa, one of the first markets to get the new car. That might have something to do with the local nature of the model; Volkswagen South Africa is the sole arm of the German company to manufacture and export the car for right and left-hand drive markets, with output coming from VW’s Uitenhage factory.

Like its predecessors, the 2010 CrossPolo gets a fashionable range of colours (Magma Orange making a welcome return and joining Terra Beige Metallic), 15mm of extra ride height, and unique body styling with 17” ‘Budapest’ alloy wheels. Prices start at R198,500 for the 1.6 Comfortline with 104bhp, while the TDI model with the same output and trim costs R224,500. Click here for more detailed specifications. The full, official Volkswagen South Africa press release follows along with more images.

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Tying in neatly with its 2010 Polo GTI vs SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra twin test, Auto Express has put an immaculate 1991 Polo G40 through its paces on the same Welsh roads as the modern in-house rivals. Owned by Volkswagen Classic in Germany, the Nineties Polo even has a very apt ‘WOB-PO-40’ licence plate. The Polo G40 became a top-flight mainstay in the Polo range in 1991, following small volume production runs on the continent in the mid-1980s. Sharing supercharging as a means of propulsion (the new Polo GTI also has a turbocharger), the 113bhp ‘coupé’ weighed a flyweight 830kg and could crack 60mph from rest in only 8.1 seconds. Rawer than the latest model, read how the UK motoring magazine seemed to enjoy the driving experience.

[Image: Nathan Morgan/Auto Express]