PoloDriver

This year was always going to be a notable one for the Volkswagen Polo. First launched in March 1975, VW’s evergreen supermini celebrates its 50th birthday in 2025. And pleasingly, for Polo enthusiasts the world over, Volkswagen is officially celebrating this achievement with appearances of special and significant vehicles from its Classic heritage department throughout this anniversary year. (The Polo even gets its own celebratory logo!)

Throughout those five decades, the Polo has often upheld the quality benchmark honour in the small car class, and has democratised many innovations usually seen on larger vehicles. It has also outlived almost all of its market rivals – most notably the Ford Fiesta launched in 1976 – as it has transitioned through six generations and a 20 million-example production run.

Polo I: 1975-1981
Following the introduction of the technologically advanced water-cooled family of vehicles in the early 1970s, designed to replace the aging air-cooled Beetle, the first-generation Polo was the final piece of the new model jigsaw. Based on the Audi 50 that arrived in 1974, its pretty shape, high quality levels, refined engines, and more affordable price helped guarantee its success. By the time production ended in 1981, more than 1.1 million had been produced at Volkswagen’s parent Wolfsburg factory.

Polo II: 1981-1994
As is typical at Volkswagen, evolution rather than revolutions has been the name of the game, over those intervening five decades. More modern engines, increased space and a three-car family – the ‘estate’ car-looking hatchback, the sporty coupé with its more sloping tail, and the traditionally styled three-box saloon – arrived with the introduction of the second-generation Polo in September 1981. A high level of power came in 1985 with the launch of the limited-run Polo Coupé GT G40 with its ‘G-Lader’ scroll-type supercharger, and in 1990, Volkswagen’s small car was the first in its class to be available with catalytic converter technology and fuel injection.

Polo III: 1994-2002 and Polo IV: 2002-2009
The third-generation Polo of 1994 brought a five-door bodystyle for the first time, and was one of the first small cars to be fitted with airbags, increasing the Polo’s reputation for safety. Building on the success of its Golf bigger brother, a full-blooded Polo GTI appeared in 1998. In 2002, the fourth-generation Polo innovated further with front and side airbags, ABS and power steering as standard, and was the first Volkswagen model to feature FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) engine technology.

Polo V: 2009-2017
In terms of popularity, the fifth-generation Polo of 2009 shines brightly, with 6.1 million examples built. This model heralded the arrival of infotainment systems, and driver assistance technology, as well as TSI (Turbocharged Stratified Injection) engines. Active Cylinder Management (ACT) engine technology also made its debut on the Polo V, with the four-cylinder engines able to shut down two cylinders under light loads to improve economy and lessen tailpipe emissions without the need for hybrid assistance. The car was also a hugely successful motorsport star – the Polo R WRC won the World Rally Championship title an amazing four times in a row from 2013 – and was embraced by more global markets, such as India, in 2010.

Polo VI: 2017-current
The current and sixth-generation Polo arrived in 2017, and is based on the modular transverse matrix (MQB), ushering in higher levels of connectivity, safety and driving dynamics. Updated in 2021 with more digital technology, the current model has assistance and comfort systems that are usually reserved for cars from higher vehicle classes.

Updated 2025 Polo
Along with the parade of classic Polos to be showcased at events during 2025, speaking to UK publication Autocar in late 2024, Kai Grünitz, Brand Board Member for Technical Development at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, confirmed the Polo will get an ‘extensive update’ this year, happily coinciding with the anniversary celebrations. This follows the welcome – and perhaps surprising – confirmation that the Polo will live on until at least 2030 due to the softening of Euro 7 exhaust emission regulations.

Alongside these developments, there is the imminent – late 2025 – arrival of the smallest electric Volkswagen yet, currently christened ID 2, and said to look very close to the ID 2all concept car of 2023. With some rumours suggesting Volkswagen’s electric car ‘ID’ sub-brand nomenclature may be dropped altogether, or that future zero-emission versions of current nameplates may adopt an ‘ID’ prefix to aid the transition to an all-electric VW model family – ‘ID Golf’ for example – recent media reports hint the ID 2 may well be called ID Polo, but we’ll await confirmation until official details are released.

Half-century milestone
Volkswagen celebrated 50 years of the Passat in 2023, five decades of the Golf in 2024, and now it’s the Polo’s turn to bask in the commemorative spotlight as it marks its half-century milestone. It’s exciting to learn Volkswagen Classic will present historic Polo models from its collection during the car’s anniversary year. The first opportunity for Polo fans to celebrate will be at the Bremen Classic Motorshow from 31 January to 2 February, where a 1975 Polo L in the rare Oceanic Blue paint colour will be displayed, along with what Volkswagen Classic states is a ‘unique hill climb Polo’ from 1977.

We cannot wait, and are planning to run a series of special anniversary themed features here on PoloDriver.com. Join us in a year of celebration!

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The Volkswagen Polo has been a favoured choice among UK drivers for decades, but has slipped out of the most popular cars chart in recent times. However, figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the Polo was the second most popular car in April 2024, with 3,413 registered. The Ford Puma small SUV took the top spot, with 4,339 examples finding new homes. The Polo was some 403 registrations ahead of the third-placed Audi A3 with its total of 3,010.

Strong showing
The Polo was the most popular Volkswagen in the SMMT chart, but elsewhere in the top 10 list, other VW models gave a strong showing. The Golf was in fifth place (2,361 registrations), the T-Roc seventh (2,162 registrations), while the Tiguan rounded out the chart in tenth place (2,004 registrations). Overall, 134,274 new cars were registered in the UK during April 2024, a one per cent increase over the same month last year.

The UK’s top 10 most popular new cars during April 2024 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Puma: 4,339 (19,393, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Polo: 3,413
3 Audi A3: 3,010 (13,503, 4th)
4 Nissan Qashqai: 2,495 (17.050, 2nd)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 2,361 (12,651, 6th)
6 Kia Sportage: 2,192 (15,824, 3rd)
7 Volkswagen T-Roc: 2,162 (11,096, 9th)
8 MG HS: 2,073 (12,101, 8th)
9 Volvo XC40: 2,069
10 Volkswagen Tiguan: 2,004

(The 2024 year-to-date top 10 most popular cars absent from April’s registration figures were the fifth-placed Nissan Juke, the seventh-placed BMW 1 Series, and the tenth-placed Mini with 13,070, 12,210, and 11,067 units recorded respectively.)

Eighth most popular UK used car
The SMMT has also named the Polo as one of the UK’s most popular used cars during Q1 2024. The Polo is the eighth most popular UK used car with 39,193 examples finding new owners during the first three months of 2024. Superminis were again the most popular vehicle type, with 640,711 changing hands – a 7.2 per cent increase over the same period in 2023. Overall, the UK used car market has grown 6.5 per cent to almost 2 million units in Q1 2024 – the fifth quarter of successive growth. This marks the best start to a year since 2019 as the second-hand market hits a five-year high. The top three used car colours were black, grey and blue.

It was a similar story in South Africa. The Citizen reports the sixth-generation (current) Polo was the country’s third most popular used car in April according to Auto Trader sales data. The Polo Vivo, based on the fifth-generation Polo sold globally from 2009-2017, takes fourth place.

In South Africa’s new car market, Business Tech states that, according to NAAMSA figures, the Polo Vivo was the third most popular model during April 2024, with 1,766 registrations. The sixth-generation Polo was in 11th place, with 822 units. Volkswagen Group South Africa was the third most popular brand, with 4,758 cars finding new homes, behind Suzuki (4,891) and Toyota (8,541). The Polo and Polo Vivo are manufactured at Volkswagen Group South Africa’s Kariega plant, situated around 465 miles east of Cape Town and 620 miles south of Johannesburg.

Most popular model in Brazil
Further afield, the Volkswagen Polo sits just behind the Fiat Strada pick-up in Brazil in terms of sales figures for the first half of May. The Polo trumps its Italian challenger overall in the year-to-date figures, though, with 44,392 examples going to new homes compared to the Fiat’s 43,636, making the Polo the most popular new car in the country by a whisker.

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Volkswagen has announced details of its latest ID-badged electric car, and the ID 2all concept points to not only a potential reset of VW’s EV recipe, but also the brand itself. PoloDriver.com editor Rich Gooding gets a bit hot under the collar…

On the evening of 15 March 2023, Volkswagen live-streamed a world premiere of a new car. The reveal was trailed beforehand to be the latest member of its ID electric car family, and VW stayed true to its promise, pulling the covers off a brand-new concept version of its small EV, the ID 2.

However, I, like most, was expecting a mini-SUV, as hinted at by the previous ID Life concept car of 2021. What was revealed, though, was much more ‘traditional’. Much more ‘typical Volkswagen’. In short, the ID 2all’s arrival is a very pleasant surprise.

The live reveal focused on Volkswagen’s ‘reinvention’ to become more of a ‘love brand’ (ick) again, leaning heavily on its more traditional values of emotion and ‘top quality’. These have arguably been absent from the first batch of ID models and the ID 2all offers the chance of a reset. New focuses on brand, customers, and products were prominent messages.

‘We are transforming Volkswagen rapidly and fundamentally – with the clear objective of making Volkswagen a genuine Love Brand. The ID 2all shows where we want to take the brand: close to the customer, top technologies and a fantastic design. We are implementing transformation at a pace to bring electric mobility to the masses’
Thomas Schäfer, CEO, Volkswagen Passenger Cars

As if to highlight this, VW’s history was showcased with a parade of past models – including the stunning 1975 Bahama Blue Polo restored by Volkswagen Classic for the 2015 Techno Classica Essen show which celebrated 40 years of the Polo nameplate – the ‘back to its roots’ message was loud and clear. And in my opinion, that’s no bad thing.

Watching the livestream of the #VWforthepeople unveil. Boy, is the focus on emotion and ‘brand’, but I am wholeheartedly behind the ‘heritage’ models being wheeled out. 1975 Mk 1 Polo L in Bahama Blue is nice to see! pic.twitter.com/wWLk8N7mmZ

— Richard Gooding (@richgoodingcom) March 15, 2023

Nostalgic brouhaha
Once all the nostalgic brouhaha was out of the way, the lights dimmed, the music volume was raised and the ID 2all appeared from the wings of the Hamburg stage. And I was instantly transfixed. Here was no mini-SUV; here was a car which referenced VW styling cues from the past – parallel Golf 4 rear bumper and door shut lines in particular – and had the appearance, and dimensions of a Polo. Which got me excited.

While new VW Passenger Cars CEO Thomas Schäfer hasn’t confirmed plans to ditch the Polo nameplate with the demise of internal combustion-engined cars in the coming years, there has been no confirmation it will stay either. When the lights went up on the ID 2all, there looked to be hope.

Apparently designed and built in around six weeks by new Volkswagen Passenger Cars head of design designer Andreas Mindt and his team, the car was ordered by management – including Schäfer – when the ID Life idea was halted. Some have commented that the ID 2all looks like it was an old concept dusted off and given a sprinkle of contemporary style, but I disagree.

Yes, there are nods to VWs past – and the front even looks similar to a ‘9N3’ Polo BlueMotion with its faired-in grille – but I think it’s a neat design, helped by the way the bright metallic blue paint finish – similar to Volkswagen’s Rising Blue shade – popped under the lights at the Hamburg reveal. Indeed, it was the paint finish that immediately reminded me of the 2001 Polo S1600 rally car prototype when I first saw the ID 2all from the rear. The car is also said to preview a new Volkswagen design language.

Other design highlights include the crease which runs from the front wheel arch, through the – standard production – door handle and rises sharply, meeting the door rear window corner. The lights in the full-width rear bar have echoes of Range Rover Evoque in their 3D effect, while the 20-inch wheels recall the 17-inch ‘Santa Monica’ rims which were an option on some models of the fourth-generation Golf. As it stands, the ID 2all is said to reflect around 80 per cent of the production car.

Inside, there’s a more geometric dashboard than the current family of ID models. Textured cloth material features on the dash top itself, and on the door cards, just like Volkswagens of old. In front of the driver is a 10.9-inch colour display, the infotainment screen in the centre two inches larger in size. Volkswagen says that the system has a ‘new menu structure’ – partly controlled by a rotary dial in the floating centre console – aiming to answer criticisms relating to the current family of ID cars.

Interestingly, the interior of the reveal concept car looked to use a production Polo 6 interior. YouTube content creator Nobby On Cars stated that it was disclosed that the show car’s interior isn’t the ‘finished product’. The car in the press images reveals the concept’s interior proper, which may suggest there may be more than one prototype in existence…

One neat interior feature of the press image car is a function which allows the instrument panel to display information in the style of a classic Beetle, or a late Mk 1 Golf-era water-cooled VW. In fact, the Beetle, Golf and Polo were all specifically mentioned at the reveal event relating to the ID 2all design, Mindt stating that, ‘We are transferring the DNA of our icons into the future. The ID 2all is therefore also an homage to the Beetle, Golf and Polo.’

MEB Entry platform
Of those three cars, only the Golf has been powered by an electric powertrain in the past, but being an ID, the 2all is of course, all-electric, too. Underpinned by a new ‘Entry’ version of VW’s all-conquering ‘MEB’ EV platform, the difference here is that the ID 2all is the first front-wheel drive electric VW. This is, in part, to save costs and bring the production ID 2 in under 25,000 euros – ‘Volkswagen’ does mean ‘people’s car’ after all, and the ‘#VWforthepeople’ hashtag had Twitter ablaze – but it also frees up interior space.

In yet another Polo correlation, the 4,050mm length of the ID 2all is just 3mm shorter than the current Polo (but only 61mm wide and 71mm taller). Volkswagen points to the iD 2all’s interior having Golf-rivalling space, thanks to the 2,600mm wheelbase which is 48mm longer than the current Polo’s. The ID 2all can carry 490 litres of luggage with the rear seats in place, 1,330 litres when they are folded.

Power from the single electric motor is a Polo GTI-rivalling 223bhp, while the electric range is projected to be 280 miles (450km) on a single charge. The car is expected to be available with two batteries of around 40 and 56kWh, the former using cheaper lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) technology. The larger unit is expected to stick with nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) tech, as shared with other VW IDs. The fast 125kW DC charging speed capability means a 10-80 per cent top up in around 20 minutes for the larger battery. Performance is similar to the current ‘AW’ Polo GTI; 0-62mph takes under seven seconds. Top speed is 99mph.

While it’s not been confirmed that the ID 2all will adopt a name that might reference the Polo, with persistent rumours of the Polo’s imminent demise – let’s not forget that Ford has called time on the Fiesta, after all – this looks to be the perfect EV-era interpretation of my favourite small car. Some reports point to the even smaller and yet-to-be-unveiled ID 1 being christened ‘ID Polo’, others that although the ID 2all probably won’t be an electric Polo, the decision hasn’t totally been ruled out…

Whatever, the arrival of the ID 2all brings with it lots of unresolved questions. But it heralds lots of promise, too. Promise that as the Polo approaches its 50th birthday – coincidentally in 2025, the same year as the production ID 2’s slated launch – it may live on into its sixth decade after all. To me, there seems little point in ditching well-known nameplates, be they Volkswagens or from any other brand. We’ll have to wait a little longer to see what shape – and what name – the production ID 2 takes when it materialises, but I, for one, will have my fingers crossed.

Schäfer said at the ID 2all world premiere that when asked, his team said that they wanted to make the brand ‘shine again’. ID Polo or not, making a small EV which incorporates as many features from the ID 2all concept will, for me, do just that.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
2023 Volkswagen ID 2all / 2023 Volkswagen Polo
Length: 4,050mm / 4,053mm
Width: 1,812mm / 1,751mm (excluding door mirrors)
Height: 1,530mm 1,459mm
Wheelbase: 2,660mm / 2,552mm
Luggage volume: 490-1,330 litres / 351-1,125 litres
Power: 223bhp / 204bhp (Polo GTI)
Drive: front-wheel drive / front-wheel drive
Wheels and tyres: 225/40 R20 / 215/45 R17 (Polo GTI)

UPDATE, 8 September 2023: It would appear that the production version of the ID 2 will not take the Polo name, and the Golf, Tiguan and GTI names are the only ‘iconic’ badges that would likely star in a future all-electric Volkswagen model family, says this new article from Autocar.

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The 100,000th sixth-generation Polo for the South African market rolled off Volkswagen South Africa’s Kariega production line on 1 March, during the night shift. The plant has been building the current ‘AW’ model since January 2018, with production of the latest refreshed version beginning in August 2021.

Overall, of the 100,000-vehicle total, 80,644 cars were pre-facelift models, the remaining 19,356 being refreshed versions. Figures released by Volkswagen South Africa from the most recent milestone report that the most popular colour for the local market Polo is Pure White with 36,965 cars made in that shade. Second is Reflex Silver (17,607 units made), followed by Limestone Grey Metallic (10,350 units built).

The latest milestone is one of several Volkswagen South Africa has celebrated in the past few months. In May 2022, the one millionth Polo was made for export (see figures below), and the 500,000th global market ‘AW’ current generation Polo was built two months later. Destined for Germany, the 100,000th global market refreshed ‘AW’ Polo – a Pure White GTI – rolled out of Kariega in August 2022. The two-millionth unit of the Polo and Polo Vivo – a South African entry level model based on the global market fifth-generation Polo originally manufactured from 2009-2017 – was completed on 6 December 2022. The 100,000th second generation Polo Vivo was produced in January 2022.

In addition to local market Polos and Polo Vivos, Volkswagen South Africa builds the Polo for all right-hand drive markets, as well as selected left-hand drive territories. The Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) factory is also the sole manufacturing plant for the current ‘AW’ Polo GTI. The plant first started building Polos in 1996, with the first exports leaving the factory in 2002 for Japan. Polos are currently exported to over 38 countries. In May Volkswagen South Africa employed 3,619 people, including 2,233 production employees, with the capacity to build 680 vehicles per day.

‘Though the majority of our Polos are built for export markets, we are incredibly proud of how popular this vehicle is among South African customers,’ said Ulrich Schwabe, production director, Volkswagen South Africa (pictured above with sales and marketing director Thomas Milz). ‘This includes our employees, who build these high quality cars with pride, and whose dedication and love for our vehicles has made this milestone possible.’

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Volkswagen South Africa has reason to celebrate. The Polo Vivo, Polo and Polo-based T-Cross small SUV have been named the most popular Volkswagens in South Africa during 2022. The small VW trio accounted for 74 per cent of all Volkswagen South Africa registrations last year.

The fifth-generation Polo-based Polo Vivo led Volkswagen South Africa’s small car charge, with 20,866 examples registered. The sixth-generation Polo was runner-up with 15,697 units finding new owners. The T-Cross SUV enjoyed 10,384 registrations. Overall, Volkswagen South Africa registered 58,447 passenger cars in 2022, giving the brand a market share of 16.4 per cent. An additional 5,154 commercial vehicle registrations were led by the Amarok, of which 1,896 units found new homes.

Other popular 2022 South African Volkswagens included the brand’s T-SUV range, which includes the Tiguan (2,613 units), T-Roc (2,407) and the recently launched Taigo (1,885 units). The Touareg also enjoyed an uplift in registrations by 9 per cent when compared to 2021, and despite stock and parts shortages, the Golf was also more popular – an increase to 639 units meant an increase in registrations by 109 per cent.

Polo Vivo GT upgrade
There’s little reason for Volkswagen South Africa not to continue its success in 2023. An upgrade to the range-topping Polo Vivo GT is set to arrive, along with a TSI version of the new Polo Sedan. There is also the impending introduction of the T-Cross Trendline, new Golf 8 R, Tiguan TDI, and a facelift for the Touareg.

Continuing the Polo’s South African popularity, Volkswagen South Africa exported 98,315 Polos from its Kariega manufacturing plant to 38 international countries last year, and overall, exported 8,942 more vehicles in 2022 when compared to 2021. The two-millionth unit of the Polo and Polo Vivo rolled off the factory lines on 6 December 2022, the milestone model being a left-hand drive Ascot Grey car destined for Germany.

Sole Polo GTI manufacturer
The Kariega factory builds the Polo for all right-hand-drive markets and supplements production for left-hand-drive territories. The plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI, and builds the Polo Vivo for the local market.

Kariega also celebrated the manufacture of its 500,000th example of the current Polo in July 2022, the car – a white left-hand-drive Polo GTI destined for France – produced four-and-a-half years after the introduction of the sixth-generation model, and a few months after the arrival of the refreshed model at the start of 2022. Of the 500,000 ‘AW’ Polos made, 90,004 were built for the local market and 409,996 were exported, 77,397 units of those being the facelifted model.

Volkswagen South Africa also celebrated the one-millionth Polo built for export in May 2022, the landmark car heading to the UK. The Kariega plant has been building Polos since 1996, and the Polo Vivo since 2010. At the time the two-millionth vehicle was built, the plant had manufactured 1,626,816 Polos (1,065,718 for export and 561,098 for the local market), along with 373,184 Polo Vivos.

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