PoloDriver

It’s been another exciting year for the Polo. Of course, the big news of 2013 has been that the small Volkswagen won its first World Rally Championship title in its debut season, but there have been other, smaller victories, both in sales and awards this year. Other Polo motorsport series have also continued around the world, with the car competing as both a rally and track machine. Here, we round up the Polo’s biggest achievements in 2013. (Bold entries are illustrated by the picture above that particular month.)

January
– Polo ends 2012 as the eighth best-selling car in the UK
– Polo R WRC takes second place on 2013 Rallye Monte Carlo, its debut event
– Polo Vivo is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo 6R is runner-up
– Polo is the eighth best-selling car in the UK.

February
– Volkswagen Polo S2000 and Sasol 2013 South African National Rally Championship partnership announced
– Auto Bild and Auto Express magazines test the Polo R WRC road car
– Polo TDI launched in Nepal
– Vento (Polo 6R saloon) launched in Algeria
– Polo SR announced for India
– Sébastien Ogier scores maiden Polo R WRC win at Rally Sweden
– Polo Vivo Maxx launched in South Africa
– PoloDriver tests the Polo R-Line
– Jeffrey Kruger and Kosie Weyers win South African 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup opening rounds at Kyalami
– Polo Vivo maintains its best-seller position in South African new car market
– Polo is the seventh best-selling car in the UK.

March
– Kosie Weyers wins 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup double at Killarney
– Sébastien Ogier takes second win of the season at Rally Mexico in the Polo R WRC
– Volkswagen launches ‘Rally The World. The Game.’
– Mixed fortunes for Volkswagen Motorsport South Africa on the Total Rally, as highest placed Polo finisher was the Polo Vivo S2000 of Gugu Zulu and Carl Peskin in fifth
– Team Slideways Industries of India announce 1600cc Polo Group N participation in Indian National Rally Championship
– Polo Vivo is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo 6R is runner-up
– Polo is the seventh best-selling car in the UK.

April
– Volkswagen UK revises Polo range; new R-Line Style model introduced
– Unflappable Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia take victory at Rally Portugal
– Henk Lategan and Barry White score a fourth-place finish on the South African Sasol Rally in their Polo S2000
– Volkswagen India launches Vento Style special edition and Polo GT TSI
– Anton Marklund’s 600bhp Polo R T16 Supercar makes it debut at Lydden Hill, Kent, UK, at first round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship
– Kosie Weyers celebrates after a double-victory at round three of the 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup at Aldo Scribante Raceway in Port Elizabeth
– Polo Vivo is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo 6R is runner-up
– Polo is the seventh best-selling car in the UK.

May
– Volkswagen Motorsport retains its WRC lead with Polo R WRC victory at Rally Argentina
– Mark Silverwood takes 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup spoils at Zwartkops
– Polo Vivo is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo 6R is runner-up
– Polo is the eighth best-selling car in the UK.

June
– WRC victory for Jari-Matti Latvala and Volkswagen at Rally Greece
– Enzo Kuun and Douglas Judd claim third and Henk Lategan and Barry White finish fifth in Polo S2000s at Toyota Gauteng Dealer Rally; Paul Franken and Henry Kohne debut Polo R2 rally car
– Polo BlueGT TSI engine with Active Cylinder Management wins ‘Best New Engine’ award
– Volkswagen Malaysia reduces the price of the Polo GTI; now starts at RM151,888
– Sébastien Ogier and Polo R WRC triumph at Rally Italy in Sardinia
– Polo R WRC crowned ’2013 Sports Car (Small Car)’ by Sport Auto magazine
– Polo is the seventh best-selling car in the UK.

July
– Mattias Ekström finishes fourth at 2013 X Games Munich and sixth at the Swedish round of the 2013 FIA European Rallycross Championship in a Polo R T16 Supercar
– Volkswagen South Africa creates ‘Polo-Train’ for Uitenhage factory tours
– Enzo Kuun and Douglas Judd are the highest-placed Polo S2000 finishers at the South African Volkswagen Rally
– Jeffrey Kruger and Rahil Noorani take victories in the first round of the 2013 Volkswagen Polo R-Cup India at the Kari Motor Speedway
– Team Slideways Industries score three podium positions at round three of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, the Rally of Coimbatore
– Tiger Sports create 180bhp, 900kg race-tuned Volkswagen Vento
– Polo Vivo is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo 6R is runner-up
– Polo is the eighth best-selling car in the UK.

August
– Volkswagen Motorsport and Sébastien Ogier wins Rally Finland
– Tasmin Pepper and Dewald Brummer win at 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup, Phaksia Freeway
– Prasanth Tharani and Jeffrey Kruger are race winners at the second round of the 2013 Volkswagen Polo R-Cup India; Volkswagen Vento Cup support series launched
– motoring.com.au names Polo as ‘Best City Car 2013’
– Henk Lategan and Barry White take second place at South African Ford Dealer Rally; Paul Franken and Henry Kohne drive the Manitou Polo R2 to third place in class
– PoloDriver tests the Polo BlueGT
– Polo 6R is best-selling car in South Africa; Polo Vivo is runner-up
– Polo is the ninth best-selling car in the UK.

September
– Volkswagen Motorsport misses out on a podium place at Rally Germany, but Sébastien Ogier wins Rally Australia
– Volkswagen India launches Polo GT TDI and CrossPolo
– Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries claim third place in their Polo S2000 at the Toyota Cape Dealer Rally
– Kosie Weyers does the 2013 Engen Volkswagen Cup double at Zwartkops.

October
– Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia crowned 2013 WRC champions during Rally France; Ogier takes event win
– Australia’s National Roads and Motorists’ Association (NRMA) awards the Polo GTI the best hot hatchback under $80,000
– Vento TSI launched in India
– Carlos Sainz and Luis Moya compete in a Polo R WRC at 2013 Rallylegend San Marino
– Volkswagen Sasolracing Polo S2000 crew Hergen Fekken and Pierre Arries take third place at the Polokwane Rally in Limpopo
– Volkswagen India launches Vento Corporate Edition
– Polo Sedan announced for Malaysia
– Volkswagen seals manufacturers’ WRC title in Spain with one-two victory.

November
– Volkswagen Motorsport ends a perfect WRC season with one-two finish at Wales Rally GB
– 362bhp Polo R WRC Street announced by B&B Automobiltechnik
– 315bhp MTM Polo R WRC Street heads to Essen Motor Show
– Polo becomes 700,000th vehicle produced at Volkswagen’s Kaluga factory in Russia
– ABT launches 287bhp Polo R WRC at Essen Motor Show.

December
– Kristofferson Motorsport announces Polo R Supercar pair for 2014 FIA European Rallycross Championship
– Noorani takes Volkswagen Polo R-Cup India 2013 title at season finalé
– Volkswagen Mexico launches Vento
– Volkswagen Motorsport officially crowned 2013 WRC World Champions
– Polo Sedan launches in the Philippines.

It’s once again been a busy Polo year for Volkswagen and also for us here at PoloDriver. We would like to thank the loyal readers and followers who have helped make the year an enjoyable one, and hope that you’ll enjoy the developments and stories coming to the website in 2014. [Click on the ‘Polo 2009-’, ‘Polo Vivo’ and ‘WRC’ tags in the category drop-down list in the right-hand sidebar of the website to see all entries pertaining to the fifth-generation Polo, South African Polo Vivo, and Polo R WRC respectively. Choose other category or month sections for relevant entries.]