PoloDriver

With the first examples of the New Polo set to hit UK shores in the next month, PoloDriver.com has just published a 14-page mini-magazine which features our first drive findings from the International Press Presentation in Germany of the refreshed 6R model.

Variants covered are the 59bhp 1.0 MPI, 89bhp 1.2 TSI, 89bhp 1.4 TDI as well as the CrossPolo 1.2 TSI. There are technical specifications of each model, too, as well as engine availability for models destined for the UK, and a brief overview of some of the exciting new technology the car incorporates.

The mini-magazine is not only free, but now also fully downloadable, for offline reading, and is optimised for iPad and other tablets. Read and download here, or click on the magazine graphic below. The tenth of PoloDriver.com’s special digital mini-magazines, check out the PoloDriver bookshelf on issuu.com for the previous nine titles.

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Just as the New Polo gears up to hit markets around the world, Volkswagen has released a range of accessories for the refreshed model. A 48-page PDF catalogue has appeared at www.volkswagen.de and covers everything from alloy wheels to suitcases.

Specific New Polo sports enhancements include a larger rear spoiler, chrome hatch trim, an exhaust finisher, carbon-fibre wing mirror and interior mirror caps, aluminium ‘racing’ pedals and ten different styles of alloy wheel and wheel cover.

Inside, owners can choose between a boot-mounted sub-woofer for enhanced aural pleasure, a Bluetooth phone kit, and a DAB+ radio system. A wide range of child seats is also available, along with floor mats, sill trim and kick plates, sun blinds, and luggage space dividers.

Touring accessories include luggage boxes and trays, and numerous roof and cycle racks. There’s even a plug-in coffee maker to make the perfect espresso! The usual official Volkswagen car care solutions and merchandise options can also be chosen.

While there’s no confirmation yet on the availability of the new official range of accessories for the refreshed Polo in the UK or elsewhere, you can take a look at or download the brochure here. What takes your fancy?

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Once again the Polo proved popular for Volkswagen UK as it appeared in the country’s top 10 best-selling cars according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The figures for May 2014 show the Polo in eighth place with 3607 new cars finding homes. While not a rise, the small Volkswagen holds firm its position, appearing in the same place in the table for April. Once again, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car in the UK. It was good news for another Volkswagen model, too: the Golf sat in second place with 7134 examples sold.

The SMMT states that UK registrations rose 7.7 per cent to 194,032 units, the most in the month since 2004. The increase sees UK registrations pass the one million mark for 2014 so far. May 2014‘s uplift in sales also drives the UK new car market to 27 consecutive months of growth, breaking a record set in the late 1980s. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during May 2014 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 9450 (58,940, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 7134 (31,596, 4th)
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 6536 (34,324, 3rd)
4 Ford Focus: 5824: 37,355, 2nd)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 5035 (26,062, 5th)
6 Nissan Qashqai: 4144 (20,834, 6th)
7 Audi A3: 3886 (19,223, 8th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 3607 (20,687, 7th)
9 Fiat 500: 2896 (17,509, 9th)
10 Vauxhall Mokka: 2801

(The 2014 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the BMW 3 Series with 16,246 units sold.)

In related news, motors.co.uk has recently announced the UK’s most popular used cars for April 2014. The Polo rounded out the top 10, with 2427 used examples changing hands, while the Golf was five places higher. In a refection of the new car sales charts, the Ford Fiesta was the best-selling used car according to the car trading website. Volkswagen was the third most popular brand.

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‘Drive Confident’. That’s just one of the slogans Volkswagen has decided upon as the lynchpin of the New Polo advertising campaign. An international launch campaign has been unveiled under the ‘Reassuringly safe. Calming innovative.’ banner and sees advertising materials focus on the New Polo’s extensive safety features and technology.

The car boasts many class firsts for safety, and so the TV and press advertisements focus on features such as the Front Assist monitoring system with City Emergency Braking function, ACC automatic distance control, as well as the new and innovative LED headlights. The campaign was launched in Germany on 16 April and will see a roll-out across Europe. Formats will include print and web media, as well as TV spots and ‘web specials’ such as microsites.

A ‘web special’ microsite is available at www.polo.de, which features new product information, interactive 360-degree experiences, assistance system films, and interactive social media opportunities. It has been created by DDB Tribal Hamburg. The print campaign has been created by DDB Team Blue and DDB Tribal Berlin.

The TV campaign meanwhile was created by DDB Team Blue and DDB Amsterdam and features a new composition of Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen. Showing drivers with animated and nervous passengers, the message is that the New Polo does a lot of the driving safety work for you, leaving passengers much calmer. Another features the MirrorLink function which enables control of a smartphone through the New Polo’s new infotainment system.

The star of the New Polo campaign is the limited edition Polo Fresh model, available for one year after the refreshed car’s introduction, and available in the UK as the SE Design model. The example used in the campaign has LED headlights, panoramic sunroof, and is painted in the eye-catching ‘Cornflower Blue’ colour, presumably to catch younger drivers’ attention (it’s also a great shade).

The New Polo is already on sale in mainland Europe, with UK deliveries starting in July. Priced at £11,100 for the 1.0 S, the range rises through S A/C, SE, SE Design and SEL, and tops off with the sporty yet frugal BlueGT featuring cylinder deactivation technology. BlueMotion and GTI models will follow later in the year. Visit our extensive New Polo pages for more information.

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Apprentices at Volkswagen’s Pune factory in India have built a firefighting car as part of their final year Dual Apprenticeship Programme. The Volkswagen Academy India students made the car for the Fire and Safety Department of the Volkswagen India plant.

Fourteen young people used parts from a Vento (Polo saloon) and CrossPolo to make the project car. Numeous modifications were made. The basic design of the Vento was used, but a pick-up body style was fabricated from the B-pillar rearwards.

The tailgate was built with its hinges at the bottom to facilitate easy loading and unloading of items from the rear storage space. Approximately 160 parts of the car were created especially for the project. Powering the firefighting Polo is a 1.6-litre TDI engine.

The Pilot Hall team at Volkswagen’s Pune factory – which is responsible for experimental projects – mentored the apprentices throughout the process of building the car. The project gave the apprentices a unique opportunity to have hands-on experience with the activities associated with building a vehicle.

Volkswagen Academy India started its three-year Dual Apprenticeship Programme in 2011. A mechatronics course that educates the students in various disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, electronics and IT, the first batch of students are now their final year.

As a part of their syllabus, the apprentices had to undertake a practical project. To keep the focus on manufacturing, it was decided by the apprentices to build a low-budget car. The firefighting Polo will be used for daily inspection around the factory as well as the movement of material by the Fire and Safety Department.

K T Vijayan, Head of Volkswagen Academy, Volkswagen India Private Limited said: ‘The well-accomplished project of building the firefighting car shows the diversity of education our academy students receive and the course’s unique approach towards practical learning.’

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