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The Volkswagen Polo was the seventh most popular car in the UK during February 2020, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 1,451 Polos finding new homes, the small Volkswagen is eighth in the year-to-date top ten rundown – a total of 3,787 have been registered since the start of 2020.

The Volkswagen Golf topped the chart with 3,457 registrations, just as the eighth-generation model starts to appear in UK retailers, with the Ford Fiesta in second place. Longstanding chart stalwarts Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa and Mercedes-Benz A-Class rounded out the top five.

Overall, UK registrations fell 2.9 per cent in February to 79,594 units, as demand from private buyers declined again. It was a good month for battery electric and plug-in hybrid cars, though, with 4,566 joining the UK roads but at just 5.8 per cent, their market share remains low. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during February 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 3,457 (7,484, 3rd)

2 Ford Fiesta: 3,123 (9,210, 1st)
3 Ford Focus: 2,784 (8,051, 2nd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 1,871 (6,244, 4th)
5 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 1,648 (4,862, 6th)
6 Vauxhall Grandland X: 1,540 (3,801, 7th)
7 Volkswagen Polo: 1,451 (3,787, 8th)
8 Mini: 1,339
9 Nissan Qashqai: 1,293 (5,901, 5th)

10 BMW 5 Series: 1,286

(The 2020 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from February 2020’s UK registration figures were the ninth-placed BMW 3 Series and the tenth-placed Kia Sportage with 3,648 and 3,386 units recorded respectively.)

Polo Vivo is registration champion
Once again, the Polo Vivo topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,417 cars rolling out of retailers. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures state that the sixth-generation Polo was again in second place with 2,120 units sold, with an additional 10,409 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage plant. The Polo-based T-Cross registered a total of 463 cars, while 540 traditionally styled Polo Sedans left the forecourts.

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Volkswagen’s Match trim level has a rich heritage in the UK when it comes to the Polo. The first Polo Match appeared in late 1989 as a value-driven special edition, and subsequent versions have become staples of Polo generations since. Replacing the SE, Volkswagen has added a new Match variant to the latest sixth-generation Polo range. In the best Match tradition, the new model features extra equipment.

Prices start from £16,465 RRP OTR for the 78bhp model, which represents a £785 value boost over the outgoing SE when the generous additional standard equipment and small price rise of £200 is taken into account. Match-specific features include 15-inch ‘Seyene’ alloy wheels, front fog lights, rear tinted windows, as well as front and rear parking sensors – kit which, if specified as options on the Polo SE, would cost £980.

Comprehensive package
The Match’s additional equipment crowns an already comprehensive package including Car-Net App Connect with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8.0-inch Composition Media infotainment system and lumbar adjustment for the front seats.

The Polo Match adopts the outgoing SE’s three engine and gearbox options. Exclusively 1.0-litre petrol three-cylinder units in 78bhp ‘Evo’ and 93bhp TSI outputs, the less powerful engine is allied to a five-speed manual gearbox, while the TSI adds the choice of a seven-speed DSG. Emissions of 125-139g/km are quoted with 42.8-51.4mpg fuel economy, both WLTP-certified.

A multi-award-winner
Volkswagen’s supermini collected a number of awards in 2019, two years after it made its international debut. It was named the What Car? ‘Small Car of the Year’, and scooped the Company Car Today ‘Supermini of the Year’ prize, ‘Safe Car of the Year’ at the First Car Awards and ‘Small Car of the Year’ from the UK Car of the Year panel. It repeated its success at the 2020 What Car? Awards, with another ‘Best Small Car’ title.

The Polo is Volkwagen’s second best-seller in the UK after the Golf, and was the ninth most popular car in the country in 2019. The range starts with the £15,390 S and tops off with the £23,520 GTI. The £17,205 Beats model offers enhanced style and sound, while the £19,060 SEL adds luxury features. For more details on the Volkswagen Polo range, visit volkswagen.co.uk.

2020 VOLKSWAGEN POLO MATCH PRICES

1.0 78bhp, five-speed manual, 48.7–51.4mpg*, 125g/km (WLTP), 106g/km (NEDC): £16,465
1.0 93bhp, five-speed manual, 47.1–50.4mpg*, 127g/km (WLTP), 105g/km (NEDC): £17,180
1.0 93bhp, seven-speed DSG, 42.8–46.3mpg*, 139g/km (WLTP), 108g/km (NEDC): £18,530

RRP OTR prices are based on current VED rules and NEDC-derived CO2 values.
*Fuel economy figures based on WLTP combined cycle, min-max.

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The latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that the Volkswagen Polo was the ninth most popular car in the UK during January 2020. A total of 2,336 Polos found new homes in the first month of the year, which also means the long-standing model is also ninth in the year-to-date top ten chart.

The Ford Fiesta was the clear leader with 6,087 registrations, ahead of its larger relative, the Ford Focus, in second place with 5,287 units. The Nissan Qashqai rounded out the top three with 4,608 registrations. The Volkswagen Golf’s 4,027 units put it in fifth place. Soon to usher in a new generation, the Vauxhall Corsa took fourth place with 4,373 registrations.

As a whole, UK registrations fell 7.3 per cent in January to 149,279 units, but demand for battery electric cars enjoyed a year-on-year rise of 2,720 units. Plug-in and ‘self-charging’ hybrids also enjoyed a peak in demand. The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during January 2020 and the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 6,087 (6,087, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 5,287 (5,287, 2nd)
3 Nissan Qashqai: 4,608 (4,608, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,373 (4,373, 4th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 4,027 (4,027, 5th)
6 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,214 (3,214, 6th)
7 Kia Sportage: 2,457 (2,457, 7th)
8 BMW 3 Series: 2,242 (2,242, 8th)
9 Volkswagen Polo: 2,336 (2,336, 9th)
10 Vauxhall Grandland X: 2,261 (2,261, 10th)

Across Europe, a total of 20,037 Polos were registered according to Jato Dynamics, making it the fifth most popular car across the continent. The Golf was topped the popularity stakes with 26,303 registrations. Volkswagen was the most popular brand across Europe with 133,558 registrations, and the Polo-based T-Cross SUV’s 12,880 units saw it declared top market share winner.

Polo Vivo is the South African chart-topper
Seemingly never putting a tyre wrong, the Polo Vivo once again topped the new car registrations charts in South Africa, with 2,811 new cars on driveways. The latest National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) figures show that the sixth-generation Polo was in second place once more with 1,761 units sold, with 7,959 exported from Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory. The Polo-based T-Cross registered 764 units, and 503 fifth-generation Polo Sedans were registered.

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Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory has produced its 200,000th example of the current Polo for export, following production of its 200,000th sixth-generation Polo in September 2019. The landmark export car rolled off the production line on 31 January.

The plant has manufactured over one million cars for export since 1994, and has enjoyed a tradition of exporting Polos to all right-hand drive markets, also supplementing demand for left-hand drive models. Total exports from Uitenhage now number a total of 1,098,960 vehicles.

The milestone follows a year of records for Volkswagen South Africa. In 2019 it manufactured a total of 161,954 vehicles, surpassing its previous record of 137,758 in 2011. More impressively, Volkswagen South Africa ended the year with a 23.4 per cent share of the passenger car market.

‘As a company we had many reasons to be proud in 2019, and this milestone sets the tone for another strong year ahead,’ said Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen Group South Africa chairman and managing director. ‘We intend to build on our strong performance in 2020, both in the local and export markets, and we remain committed to delivering excellence to both our customers and the larger community.’

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The latest 197bhp Polo GTI is the most powerful ever, and with as much power as a fifth-generation Golf GTI of 2004, Barracuda Racing Wheels Europe thought VW’s small firecracker deserved a more striking set of rims.

The German tuner’s Tzunamee EVO alloys pictured here are 8×18-inches in size, wrapped in 215/35R18 rubber. With a dark gunmetal finish, the company quotes a pronounced concavity of fifty millimetres and state that as the brushed regions of the spoke ends extend to the edge of the rims, the wheels appear larger than they really are.

Priced from €299, optional €69 eight millimetre spacers on the rear ensure perfect alignment between front and rear and lend the sixth-generation Polo GTI a more aggressive appearance. This is helped on Barracuda’s show car by a set of €249 special “JMS made by H&R” springs which lower the pumped-up, go-faster Polo’s body by 40mm at the front, and 30mm at the rear.

Barracuda Racing Wheels’ range of rims are available from car dealerships as well as tyre and specialist stores. They can also be bought online from www.barracuda-europe.de, and the company has extensive social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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