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As the fifth-generation Polo gets ready to become another past generation of VW’s small car, Volkswagen Group Australia has announced two new ‘purpose-built’ models. The Polo Urban and Urban+ replace the outgoing Polo Trendline and Comfortline respectively, and come with extra kit for the same price when compared to the cars they oust.

Enhanced specification
The Polo Urban is now the entry-level model to the Australian small Volkswagen range, and adds $1,500-worth of additional features. Its enhanced specification includes 15-inch ‘Tosca’ alloy wheels; illuminated vanity mirrors; a leather-trimmed steering wheel, handbrake lever and gear knob; a multi-function display; and ‘Urban’ badging.

Move up to a Polo Urban+ however, and the added value increases to around $3,000 in extra equipment. Among the additional goodies are 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels; automatic headlights; dark-tinted windows; driver fatigue detection system; front fog lights; rain-sensing wipers; and, yes, you’ve guessed it, ‘Urban+’ badging.



Inside, there is an auto-dimming rear view mirror; climate control; heated ‘comfort’ sports seats with alcantara trim; front footwell lighting; as well as chrome and silver decorative trim. Metallic paint is a $500 supplement, and buyers can also now choose the Flash Red colour, previously only available on the Polo GTI.

2017 Volkswagen Polo Urban (Australia)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Urban (Australia)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Urban (Australia)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Urban (Australia)

2017 Volkswagen Polo Urban (Australia)

Driver Assistance Package
Additional upgrades include a new $1,800 Driver Assistance Package for the Urban+ which includes adaptive cruise control; front assist and emergency braking systems; a ‘Discover Media’ navigation system, as well as front and rear parking sensors. Both the new models are powered by a 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine, tuned for 89bhp in the Urban, and 108bhp in the Urban+.

Both the Polo Urban and Urban+ will be available until the arrival of the all-new sixth-generation model, which had its world premiere in Berlin in June, and is due to arrive in Australian showrooms in March 2018.

2017 VOLKSWAGEN POLO URBAN AND URBAN+ DRIVEAWAY PRICES

Polo Urban 1.2 TSI
$16,990 (manual)
$19,490 (DSG)

Polo Urban+ 1.2 TSI
$19,990 (manual)
$22,490 (DSG)

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The latest Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) new car registration figures are out, and we’re pleased to report that even after the new sixth-generation Volkswagen Polo was unveiled in Berlin last month, the current car has remained in the UK’s most popular car chart for June 2017. In eighth place, 4,705 Polos were registered last month, with a total of 27,205 finding homes for the year so far.

For the first time in eight years, the Ford Fiesta didn’t top the SMMT monthly charts, the number one most popular car in the UK was the Volkswagen Golf, itself revamped earlier this year. The evergreen small Ford still tops the year-to-date chart with 59,380 models registered, and sits below the popular VW in June’s registration rundown.

As for the UK market as a whole, registrations were down by 4.8 per cent, with 243,454 units leaving forecourts across the country. That marks the third consecutive month of decline, but the market is still reported to be in-line with 2017 forecasts, the SMMT has said. The UK’s top 10 most popular passenger cars during June 2017 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 8,808 (36,703, 3rd)
2 Ford Fiesta: 8,601 (59,380, 1st)
3 Ford Focus: 8,283 (40,045, 2nd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 6,977 (32,408, 6th)
5 Mini: 6,630 (25,585, 9th)
6 Vauxhall Corsa: 5,739 (33,560, 5th)
7 Nissan Qashqai: 5,103 (33,574, 4th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 4,705 (27,205, 8th)
9 BMW 3 Series: 4,264
10 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 4,102 (27,386, 7th)

(The 2017 year-to-date top 10 most popular car absent from June 2017’s registration figures was the tenth-placed Mercedes-Benz A Class with 22,944 cars registered.)

Elsewhere, the In other sales-related news, the Polo reclaimed its second best-selling car in South Africa status in South Africa with 1,897 examples finding new homes. The car that topped it? As ever, the ‘budget’ Polo Vivo claimed the number one spot, selling 2,516 cars. Based on the facelifted fourth-generation Polo sold in Europe from 2005-2009, the Vivo has topped the South African new car sales charts since it was introduced in 2009, when it took over from the fondly remembered Citi Golf as Volkswagen South Africa’s entry-level model.

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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has released its new car registration figures for May 2017, and we’re pleased to report that the Volkswagen Polo has risen in the charts to become the UK’s fifth most popular new car. A total of 4,247 examples of the evergreen small VW found new homes last month, while 22,500 Polo registrations have been recorded in the year-to-date.

As in the past few months, Ford’s Polo sparring-partner the Fiesta is top dog once again: 7,617 small Fords were registered in May, adding to the car’s cumulative figure of 50,779 for 2017 so far. This means it still tops the charts for the year to date, too. The Polo’s bigger brother the Golf was in second place during May, no doubt buoyed by the arrival of the refreshed Mk ‘7.5’ model.

While we’d expect demand for the Polo to stay stable for a little while yet, the new sixth-generation model will be revealed later this month. Overall, the SMMT states that UK new car demand has fallen 8.5 per cent, with 186,265 vehicles registered, but still over 1.1 million new cars have been registered since January. The UK’s top 10 most popular passenger cars during May 2017 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7,617 (50,779, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 5,449 (27,895, 4th)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,970 (28,471, 3rd)
4 Ford Focus: 4,455 (31,762, 2nd)
5 Volkswagen Polo: 4,247 (22,500, 8th)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 4,170 (25,431, 6th)
7 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,056 (27,821, 5th)
8 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 4,046 (23,284, 7th)
9 Mini: 3,535 (19,952, 10th)
10 Mercedes-Benz A Class: 3,367 (19,222, 9th)

In other sales-related news, during May 2017 the Polo lost its second best-selling car status in South Africa to the Toyota Auris/Corolla/Corolla Quest, losing out by just 39 units! However, the face-lifted Mk 4 Polo-based Polo Vivo still sat astride the top of the country’s sales charts, with 1,955 examples registered.

Elsewhere, according to JATO Dynamics, the Polo is the third most popular car in Austria so far in 2017, behind family members the Golf and Tiguan. It also shares the same place in Demark, behind the Peugeot 208 and Nissan Qashqai, and also in Germany, where it trails the Golf and Tiguan once again.

World’s most popular supermini
The Polo was also among the top ten registered cars in Italy for 2016, and so far during 2017, the small Volkswagen is – that’s right! – the third most popular car in Europe. With a total of 148,331 global registrations, it is also the world’s most popular supermini, even if those numbers are reportedly down 3.4 per cent. A total of 704,062 Polos were registered in 2016, making it the world’s eighth most popular car, according to the FM Global Mobility Database.

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Once again, the Volkswagen Polo was one of the UK’s top 10 most popular cars last month, according to the latest registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). In ninth place, 2,800 Polos found new homes in April 2017: with 18,253 registrations, the small Volkswagen sits in eighth place for the year so far.

In a repeat of past months, the Ford Fiesta once again was top of both charts in April, the Ford hatchback boasted 4,957 registrations for the month, and 43,162 for the year-to-date. Overall, when compared to the same period last year, new car registrations fell almost 20 per cent, with the new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) bands expected to answer for the slump.

A total of 152,076 cars were registered in April, but the SMMT still states that the year-to-date performance for 2017 is still at record levels, with new car volumes up 1.1 per cent with 972,092 units recorded. The UK’s top 10 most popular passenger cars during April 2017 and the year overall (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 4,957 (43,162, 1st)
2 Nissan Qashqai: 4,430 (23,501, 4th)
3 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3,777 (19,238, 7th)
4 Mercedes-Benz A Class: 3,608 (15,855, 9th)
5 Ford Focus: 3,421 (27,307, 2nd)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 3,346 (21,261, 6th)
7 Volkswagen Golf: 3,223 (22,446, 5th)
8 Audi A3: 3,000
9 Volkswagen Polo: 2,800 (18,253, 8th)
10 BMW 1 Series: 2,740

(The 2017 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from April 2017’s registration figures were the third-placed Vauxhall Corsa, and the tenth-placed Mini with 23,765 and 15,417 cars registered respectively.)

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As if GTI and GT TSI and TDI versions weren’t enough, Volkswagen India has announced the new Polo GT Sport, a limited edition ‘warm’ model. A ‘combination of power and efficiency’ is what the Polo GT Sport is all about, and like the standard GT model on which it is based, the new car is available with both TSI petrol and TDI diesel engines.

Exterior and interior updates
A host of exterior and interior updates differentiate the GT Sport from its lesser limited sibling. Outside, a gloss black spoiler, roof foil, ‘GT Sport’ side decals and 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels mark out the Polo GT Sport, while inside there are leatherette ‘GT Sport’-embossed seat covers. As limited as the – non-specified – production run is the choice of colours, with only Candy White and Flash Red the finishes available.

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

Mechanically, the Polo GT Sport is unchanged from the standard Indian-market Polo GT. That means an option of 1.2-litre 103bhp TSI turbocharged petrol or 1.5-litre 107bhp TDI diesel engines mated to either seven-speed DSG (GT TSI) or five-speed manual (GT TDI) transmissions. Standard Polo GT features such as aluminium pedals and electrically-folding mirrors remain.

‘The first choice for buyers’
Speaking at the launch, Thierry Lespiaucq, Managing Director, Volkswagen Group Sales India, said: ‘Polo GT has been the first choice for buyers who seek strong power delivery and class-leading efficiency both combined a single carline. The GT badge has always instilled the pride of owning the best, and the Polo GT Sport takes it a notch higher.’

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

2017 Volkswagen Polo GT Sport (India)

The 2017 Volkswagen Polo GT TSI Sport is priced at INR 9.11 lakh, while the Polo GT TDI Sport costs INR 9.21 lakh (both ex-showroom Delhi). Find out more details about the limited edition Polo GT Sport on the special Volkswagen India website, while learn about the standard features of the Polo GT by clicking this link.

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