PoloDriver

Not only has Volkswagen revealed the Indian market new Polo at the Auto Expo in New Delhi today, it also, more excitingly, announced plans for the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010, a one-make racing championship. It will be the world debut for the new Polo as a racing variant once the season gets underway on 30 May. Volkswagen report that only a few days after the production car makes its debut in New Delhi, the racing version will turn a wheel in anger, so we think it’s fair to expect some action in the next few days.

The new Polo racer is powered by a 1.6-litre TDI engine, developing 129bhp and linked to a six-speed manual gearbox. Adjustable race suspension also features, along with 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels and 200/60 section slick tyres. Distancing itself from the showroom model, the circuit Polo has an aerodynamic body kit, consisting of redefined rear bodywork with a distinctive ‘deflector vane’ and special wind tunnel-developed front, rear and side skirts. An uprated exhaust system emphasises the sporty looks, producing a more angry sound. Design work for the new Polo Cup car was carried out by Volkswagen Design in Braunschweig, so it should be a proper piece of racing kit.

‘The new road-going Polo’s attractive design makes it a veritable eye-catcher. Apart from the demands which motorsport makes on a car, this was a major development objective for the new racing version as well,’ explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. ‘At Volkswagen, production development and motorsport work hand in hand, parallel to the presentation of the road car.’ In the cockpit, a Volkswagen sports-style steering wheel and a new shift gate add to the interior’s sporty appeal.

Just like the German ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup series which ran from 2004 to 2009 (above), the Volkswagen Polo Cup India will nurture fledging racing talent. Twenty drivers aged 16 to 24 will be plucked from driving camps all over India and the series could be a launch pad into a professional touring car career. And, just like the German series, all 20 cars will be built centrally by motorsport engineers at Volkswagen (this time at the Pune factory) and feature professional data logging and analysis.

The Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 will be run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. We’ll bring you more details of this exciting new chapter in the Polo’s motorsport career as we get them.

Volkswagen Polo Cup India race car specification
Model Polo Cup India race car
Displacement (cc) 1598
Power output 129bhp
Engine Modified ECU, engine mounts, flywheel, inlet and exhaust system
Transmission Front-wheel drive, six-speed manual with modified final drive and gear ratios, limited slip differential
Front and rear suspension Modified spring-damper units
Steering Electro-mechanical steering rack
Brakes 344mm discs, racing ABS system
Wheels 17-inch multi-spoke alloy
Tyres JK 200/60 R 17 racing slicks
Unladen weight (kg) 1060
Safety system HANS (head and neck support) with tubular steel integrated roll cage, racing seat with head protector
Dimensions (l/w/h mm, approximate) 3970/1901/1462

It’s been coming for a while, but today Volkswagen finally unveiled the newest version of the fifth-generation Polo today at the tenth Auto Expo in New Delhi. It joins the German carmaker’s line-up which already includes the New Beetle, Jetta, Passat and Touareg and was rumoured to be a traditional notchback saloon. That still may come of course, but at last Indian buyers can at last take a look at the car which will be produced locally at Volkswagen’s new high-tech Chakan, Pune plant.

Long-awaited, the new Indian market Polo will appear in the country’s 40 dealers in March, in the three basic continental market trims (Trendline, Comfortline and Highline), and with two engines – a 74bhp petrol and a TDI unit with the same output. All versions will come with a five-speed manual gearbox. Changes over the European version are minimal. Going by the supplied pictures, the headlights have silver upper edges (the European versions are shaded) and as anticipated, there may be a minor rise in ride height.

Speaking at the Auto Expo unveiling, Prof Dr Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen AG with responsibility for Group Production, said, ‘The Volkswagen brand plays an important role in our success story. The new Polo is a key player in our ongoing strategy. It is an outstanding model in the exceptional range of the Volkswagen Group.’ Almost 50 percent localisation has already been achieved for the new Polo at the Pune factory with a target of around 80 percent within the next two to three years. The first Indian market production Polo rolled off the lines on 12 December 2009.

The turn of the new year has only just happened, but already Volkswagen has announced a special edition of the new Polo for its home market. Technically it was available to order at the very end of 2009, but when it was released is of little consequence: the Polo TEAM does mark the first special edition of the fifth-generation model’s life.

A whole raft of football-inspired TEAM models have been made available from Golf to Tiguan and (Volkswagen says) each offers ‘exclusive equipment and unbeatable price advantages’. The Polo TEAM comes in, we think, three-door form only (no five-door versions are listed on the price list) and is offered with 59, 69, 84 and 104bhp petrol engines, while diesel lovers can specify 74, 89 and 104bhp TDI units. VW’s smooth-shifting seven-speed DSG gearbox can be chosen on the 84 and 104bhp petrol and 89bhp TDI models.

Playing to its sporting strengths, the new Polo special edition is based on the continental Comfortline model and features TEAM badging on the rear pillars, darkened rear windows, automatic dipping headlights, front fog lights with cornering function, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, heated front sports seats, floor mats, central arm rest, cruise control, RCD 210 radio system with MP3/CD player, unique ‘Pool’ blue/grey interior trim, and leather-covered gear knob, steering wheel and handbrake lever.

Quite a list we’re sure you’ll agree. But, there’s more. Buyers who specify the TEAM PLUS package get 7J x 16 ‘Cartagena’ alloys with 215/45 R 16 tyres and anti-theft wheel bolts and multifunction display with tyre pressure monitor. An upgraded RCD 200 radio system with satellite-navigation, a multifunction steering wheel and a winter package can all be chosen at additional cost.

What price all this exclusivity and extra kit, then? The 59bhp 1.2-litre kicks things off at €14.525 with the 104bhp TSI with DSG costing €18.625. The TDIs start at €17.175 for the 74bhp model, rising to €18.550 for the 104bhp version. Specify the TEAM PLUS equipment package, and you’ll pay €550 on top of the basic model’s price. Commemorating the football 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa this summer, the patriotic Volkswagen TEAM special editions are available to order now.

It may only be the first day of 2010, but here at PoloDriver we’re already looking forward to new developments which will bring exciting new bookends to the recently-launched and award-winning range. First up, our sources at Volkswagen UK tell us that the much anticipated and long-awaited 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI will now arrive in early February, rather than January as expected.

The miserly 1.2 TDI BlueMotion is already available to order on the continent, but should hit these shores in right-hand drive in mid-March, according to the factory. And the performance-orientated, 179bhp 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged GTI should be with UK buyers by late summer, so expect a Geneva motor show unveiling as either a thinly-veiled concept or production model.

We’ll bring you confirmed on-sale dates and details as they’re confirmed. To keep up-to-date with developments, bookmark our RSS feeds or download the PoloDriver widget (Mac users only) here and get all the latest news to your desktop.

The last year of the ‘Noughties’ was a big year for the Volkswagen Polo and one of the busiest ever in the model’s 34-year history. We look back at the major Polo developments and happenings of 2009.

January

• German motoring weekly Auto Motor und Sport names the Polo as the Best Car of 2009 in the supermini class.

March

• Volkswagen surprises everyone and pulls the covers off the new Polo (in five-door form, above) at the Geneva motor show. New model is cleaner, lighter and safer than ever before. New fifth-generation has a new, sharper-looking body and new engines including a 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI and 1.6-litre common-rail TDI. New BlueMotion concept emits 87g/km of CO2, and will do 83.4mpg.
• Rumours circulate about a US market launch.
• VW Polo Challenge racing game app launched on the iPhone, topping 1.4 million downloads.

April

• Volkswagen India starts pre-production of the new Polo at its Pune plant in India, ready for a 2010 market launch.

May

• UK motoring monthly Car publishes its first online road test of the new model: ‘The new Polo isn’t perfect, but it’s an impressive step forward from a model that was well past its sell-by date.’
• Volkswagen release more details of the new model after the International Driving Presentation in Sardinia.

June

• First TV advertising commercials ‘Neon’ and ‘Ready For A New Class’ appear, using Pink’s Bad Influence as the soundtrack.

July

• New Polo launched in selected contintental markets.

August

• UK prices and specifications for the new Polo are released. S, Moda, SE and SEL trim levels announced, with prices starting at £10,635 for the 1.2 59bhp S, rising to £14,910 for the 1.6-litre 89bhp SEL TDI.
• Euro NCAP awards the new Polo a five-star safety rating, making one of, if not the, safest car in its class.
• First official pictures of the three-door model are released.

September

• New Polo three-door (above) and production version of the BlueMotion concept appear at the Frankfurt motor show.
• iMotor magazine publishes its first road test of the 74bhp 1.6-litre TDI, pitting it against its omnipresent foe, the Ford Fiesta.
• UK motoring weekly Auto Express publishes its first group test of the new Polo. The car faces established competition from the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 and Renault Clio.
• German motoring publication Auto Motor und Sport publishes renderings of the new Polo GTI flagship and SUV-style CrossPolo, while the UK’s Autocar states that GTD, cabrio, estate and MPV versions of the car could also be coming.

October

• ‘Cool’ TV advertising commercial airs and takes inspiration from Hollywood, mixing Grease-style looks to a Back To The Future idea.
• PoloDriver gets behind the wheel of the new Polo and is deeply impressed with the newcomer, stating: ‘The fifth-generation model is the most refined, luxurious and capable incarnation of the Polo to date and may at last get the recognition it has been deserving of.’
• UK prices are announced for the three-door new Polo range, taking the cost of the entry level model down to £9435.
• Polo Sedan (saloon) spyshots published online. Could this be the model for India and the US?
• New 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged engine released for ordering, slated to arrive in the UK in January 2010.
• New Polo launched in the UK on 16 October 2009.
• What Car? magazine tests the new Polo against nine rivals – Polo is victorious.

November

• New Polo wins the European Car of the Year 2010 award fighting off competition from the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 3008, Škoda Yeti and Toyota iQ.
• ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ and ‘Green Steering Wheel’ from Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag magazines awarded to the new model at a ceremony in Berlin.
• Volkswagen Driver magazine tests the 1.2 SE and says of the £11,385 newcomer: ‘Volkswagen’s latest Polo is the biggest, best and most stylish yet.’
• New Polo wins Small Car of the Year at the Scottish Car of the Year awards and is crowned with the Auto Trophy by Autozeitung.

December

• Continental order books open for the new Polo BlueMotion (above).
• Car magazine lists the new Polo in its Top 10 Cars of 2009.

With the launch of the new fifth-generation it’s been a busy year for the Polo and also for us here at PoloDriver. We would like to thank the readers who have sent us congratulatory comments and best wishes, and hope that you’ll enjoy the developments coming to the website in 2010.

[Click on the ‘Polo 2009-’ tag in the tag cloud in the right-hand sidebar of the website to see all entries pertaining to the new Polo.]