The PoloDriver review of 2011
The most exciting Polo news of 2011 was the final unveiling of the Polo R WRC, with which Volkswagen Motorsport intends to complete in the 2013 World Rally Championship. Signing the first factory driver, Sébastien Ogier was the icing on the cake. Other motorsport series also continued around the world, with the Volkswagen Polo Cup India being renamed the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India, and the Polo Vivo made its track and rally debut. As far as the road car was concerned, it still continued to win awards and make a good impression, especially on us, as we took a Polo GTI on a 1000-mile road trip. Strong sales figures in the UK and further afield continued to add to the Polo’s success. (Bold entries are illustrated by the picture above that particular month.)
January
- Volkswagen UK kicks off the year with a £500 saving on selected Polo models and free servicing package
- Auto Express reports that previously denied 200bhp Polo R ‘is confirmed’
- Polo wins Wheels magazine’s Car of the Year 2010 award in Australia. Judges state that it’s ‘a very worthy winner.’
- Polo revealed as one of the best-selling cas in the UK in 2010, with 45,517 units sold, putting it in sixth place, and 8000 ahead of Volkswagen UK’s preliminary forecasts
- Polo Vivo revealed as the best-selling car in South Africa during 2010, shifting 23,297 examples
- Polo BlueMotion exempted from London Congestion Charge due to rule changes
- Polo sells 3010 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 2986 units in South Africa.
February
- A Vento (Polo saloon) is the 50,000th car produced at Volkswagen’s hi-tech factory in Pune, India
- Autocar quashes latest Polo R rumours
- Polo GTI 6R pitted against rivals in both Auto Express and evo magazines
- Polo sells 1570 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 2552 units in South Africa.
March
- Polo crowned ‘Best Small Car’ at 2011 Fleet News Awards
- £500 saving offer on selected Polo models extended
- New Polo Vivo S2000 rally car unveiled
- Cricket-themed Vento IPL Edition launched in India
- Polo 1.6 TDI declared 2011 Wesbank/SAGMJ Car of the Year in South Africa
- Polo sells 7634 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 2768 units in South Africa.
April
- 1.2-litre TDI displacing 74bhp replaces 1.6 unit of same output in the UK
- Polo awarded maximum safety rating in Japanese NCAP crash testing programme
- Polo GTI 6R launched in South Africa, costing R259,000
- Polo sells 4524 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 2221 units in South Africa.
May
- Polo Sedan launched in South Africa, with 84 and 104bhp engines and a starting price of R159,900
- New promotional Polo Harlequin appears, film-wrapped courtesy of Drift Bridge VW Epsom and Creative FX
- Five-door 250bhp Polo Chinese Touring Car Championship racers appear for the first time
- Milltek announce performance exhaust system for Polo GTI 6R
- Automatic transmission and BlueLine models added to the Polo Vivo range
- 300bhp, four-wheel drive Polo R WRC unveiled – to contest the 2013 World Rally Championship
- Polo GTI 6R launched in Singapore
- Polo Vivo sells 1935 units in South Africa.
June
- Polo sells 19,467 units in UK year-to-date
- Polo Vivo sells 2933 units in South Africa
- PoloDriver.com drives the Polo GTI 6R for the first time and publishes a digital mini-magazine of its findings.
July
- Polo GTI 6R awarded Motor magazine’s ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ prize
- Volkswagen UK introduces value-packed Polo Match introduced to replace SE and Moda models
- Polo sells 22,897 units in UK year-to-date
- Polo sells 3684 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 3142 units in South Africa.
August
- Novo Polo and Polo Sedan: Volkswagen do Brazil reinvigorates Series 4 Polo
- Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDI wins its class at the 2011 Total Economy Run in South Africa
- Volkswagen UK launches Polo Accessories app
- Polo sells 1467 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 3322 units in South Africa.
September
- Austrian special-edition Polo Sky featuring panoramic sunroof and LED daytime running lights launched
- Drivable Volkswagen Polo R WRC revealed at 2011 Frankfurt motor show
- Volkswagen launches Polo R-Line styling package at 2011 Frankfurt motor show
- Polo sells 8607 units in UK
- Polo Vivo sells 3679 units in South Africa.
October
- Auto Express pits the 84bhp 1.4-litre Polo Match five-door against the new Chrysler Ypsilon SE
- Polo Match squares up to 14 of its most notable rivals in a 14-page Autocar supermini mega-test
- Drift Bridge VW Epsom create Polo R WRC replica with Creative FX film wrap
- Polo and Vento Breeze special limited editions blow into India
- Volkswagen Group Malaysia introduces the Polo GTI 6R
- Volkswagen South Africa adds a new sporty flavour: Polo Vivo GT unveiled
- Polo sells 3289 units in UK.
November
- AutoMuseum Volkswagen starts search for the ‘Super-VW’ – 1977 Polo L in contention
- Sébastien Ogier becomes first factory Polo R WRC driver at Volkswagen
- Polo BlueMotion makes Honest John’s top 10 cheapest and fuel-efficient new car list
- 9N and 9N3 Polos recalled in Japan due to side airbag wiring system defect
- PoloDriver.com publishes its 2012 Volkswagen Polo GTI 1000-mile road test mini-magazine
- Volkswagen UK offers free insurance on Polo S, Match, and SEL models
- Volkswagen Polo R WRC testing programme starts
- Polo sells 3305 units in U
- Polo Vivo sells 2270 units in South Africa.
December
- Dytko Sport’s 400bhp, four-wheel drive hillclimb Polo 6R breaks cover
- Volkswagen Polo R Cup India holds its first night race in Sri Lanka
- Debut Polo R WRC / Sébastien Ogier gravel test appears online, as Frenchman wins 2011 Race of Champions
- December sales figures sees Polo Vivo end 2011 as South Africa’s top-selling car
- Polo is 2011’s seventh best-selling car in the UK; sixth place in December chart
- Polo ends 2011 as the second best-selling car in Europe.
With the global roll-out of the new fifth-generation Polo completed, it’s again been a busy 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 those who continue to find the site a ‘forum’ to talk about the Polo GTI 6R), and hope that you’ll enjoy the developments and stories coming to the website in 2012. [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.]