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Volkswagen Group South Africa maintained its lead in the passenger car market during February 2013, with the Polo Vivo still the best-selling car in the country. Selling 2742 units, the entry-level model in Volkswagen South Africa’s range was recently boosted with the arrival of the CrossPolo-influenced Polo Maxx last week. The recently-launched Mk 7 Golf did well, too, with 767 deliveries in its first month of reporting. During February, Volkswagen Group South Africa enjoyed total sales of 8516 units and a market share of 23.2 per cent.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R110,500 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R160,300 for the top 1.6 Polo Maxx, the 2013 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the more traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

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Volkswagen Group South Africa has started 2013 as it ended 2012, with the Polo Vivo sitting at the top of the new passenger car sales charts. Out of the 10,511 Volkswagen Group South Africa products sold, 4047 of these were Polo Vivos, while once again, the Polo 6R was in second place, shifting 2790 units. The achievements helped give Volkswagen Group South Africa market leadership in both the total and passenger car markets in January 2013 with a market share of 19.1 per cent. Last month, 39 738 new passenger cars were sold in South Africa, an increase of 20.2 per cent when compared to December 2012.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R110,500 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R157,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2013 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the more traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

In related news, Volkswagen Group South Africa released a revised price list on 25 January. There are modest rises across the board, with the Polo Vivo and Polo 6R ranges also being affected. The new revised prices for both model ranges are as follows:

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO VIVO HATCH
(model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 Base 3dr: 55/147/R110,500
1.4 Base 5dr: 55/147/R123,100
1.4 Zest 5dr: 55/147/R126,800
1.4 BlueLine 5dr: 55/128/R128,900
1.4 Trendline 5dr: 63/147/R135,300
1.4 Trendline auto 5dr: 63/156/R149,400
1.6 Base 5dr: 77/157/R143,400
1.6 Trendline 5dr: 77/157/R151,800
1.6 GT 3dr: 77/157/R157,000
1.6 Maxx 5dr: 77/157/R160,300

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO VIVO SEDAN
(model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 Base 4dr: 55/147/R129,000
1.4 BlueLine 4dr: 55/128/R134,800
1.4 Trendline 4dr: 63/147/R141,200
1.4 Trendline auto 4dr: 63/156/R155,300
1.6 Base 4dr: 77/157/R149,300
1.6 Trendline 4dr: 77/157/R157,700

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO HATCH (6R)
(model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 Trendline 5dr: 63/144/R160,100
1.6 Trendline 5dr: 77/153/R179,600
1.4 Comfortline 5dr: 63/153/R184,100
1.6 Comfortline 5dr: 77/153/R203,600
1.6 Comfortline auto 5dr: 77/153/R217,600
1.6 TDI Comfortline 5dr: 77/120/R228,400
1.2 TDI BlueMotion 5dr: 55/89/R192,800
1.4 TSI GTI DSG 5dr: 132/139/280,400

2013 VOLKSWAGEN POLO SEDAN (6R)
(model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.4 Trendline 4dr: 63/139/R167,500
1.4 Comfortline 4dr: 63/139/R182,400
1.6 Trendline 4dr: 77/143/R187,700
1.6 Comfortline 4dr: 77/143/R200,900
1.6 Comfortline auto 5dr: 77/154/R214,900
1.6 TDI Comfortline 5dr: 77/120/R224,600

2013 VOLKSWAGEN CROSSPOLO (6R)
(model: kW rating/CO2, g/km/retail price)
1.6 CrossPolo 5dr: 77/154/R218,200
1.6 TDI CrossPolo 5dr: 77/154/R243,000

Visit www.volkswagen.co.za for the latest information and updates on the award-winning Polo Vivo, Polo and CrossPolo ranges.

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The Polo has continued its 2012 success into 2013, with an eighth place in the UK’s top 10 bestsellers, announced this morning by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 2885 cars sold last month, the Polo is also in eighth place for the year to date. Once again, Ford’s perennial Fiesta topped the charts, with 7906 examples sold, no doubt helped by the model’s recent refreshing. The Volkswagen Golf slipped a couple of places, as buyers anticipate the arrival of the seventh-generation model. Overall, January new car figures were up 11.5 per cent to 143,643 units, with a 15.9 per cent rise in private registrations. Growth in private and small car demand also helped petrol cars see their market share rise.

‘The new car market has started the year confidently with registrations climbing 11.5 per cent in January,’ said Mike Baunton, Interim Chief Executive, SMMT. ‘Lifted by a solid rise in private demand, the new car market posted its 11th successive month of growth with motorists attracted to forecourts by the latest models and competitive deals on offer. Building on a strong performance in 2012, SMMT has increased its market forecast – we anticipate a modest rise over the year, followed by further growth in 2014.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars during January 2013 and for the year-to-date (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7906 (7906, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 5794 (5794, 2nd)
3 Vauxhall Astra: 5462 (5462, 3rd)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 5178 (5178, 4th)
5 Nissan Qashqai: 4280 (4280, 5th)
6 Volkswagen Golf: 3335 (3335, 6th)
7 Peugeot 208: 2959 (2959, 7th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 2885 (2885, 8th)
9 Nissan Juke: 2522 (2522, 9th)
10 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 2356 (2356, 10th)

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It won’t come as a surprise to regular readers, but the Polo Vivo and Polo 6R were announced as 2012’s top-selling cars in South Africa today. Both locally produced, the Polo Vivo topped the sales charts, with 34,873 units sold, while 28,667 fifth-generation (current) Polos found new owners. The pair accounted for a staggering 14.4 per cent of the total South African passenger car market. Volkswagen Group South Africa ended 2012 as the market leader of the passenger car segment in the country for the fourth consecutive year with the total sales of 99,106 units (Volkswagen: 82,363, Audi: 16,743) and overall market share of 22.3 per cent. Continuing its massive success story, the Polo Vivo was once again the best-selling car in South Africa for last month, with 2307 units sold.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R108,300 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3). The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as a three and five-door hatchback, plus the more traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

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The Polo ended 2012 on a high in the UK, taking the eighth spot in the country’s best-selling cars chart. With a tally of 41,901 examples sold over the year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) report that the small Volkswagen sat at number 10 in the figures for December 2012. Private registrations saw the 2012 UK market boosted by 100,000 sales, with volumes up a total of 3.7 per cent. It was the highest annual set of figures recorded since 2008, at 2,044,609 units. Superminis were up 5.6 per cent, with the Ford Fiesta taking the 2012 bestseller crown, with 109,265 units.

‘More than two million new cars were registered in the UK during 2012, up 5.3 per cent on the previous 12 months and the best result since recession struck in 2008,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Boosted by strong consumer demand, the market grew at its fastest rate for 11 years with innovative, fuel-efficient cars keeping buyers in showrooms.’ The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during December 2012 and for 2012 as a whole (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Focus: 5265 (83,115, 3rd)
2 Vauxhall Astra: 5112 (63,023, 4th)
3 Ford Fiesta: 4977 (109,265, 1st)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4510 (89,434, 2nd)
5 BMW 1 Series: 3196 (34,488, 10th)
6 BMW 3 Series: 3181 (44,521, 7th)
7 Mini: 3143
8 Nissan Qashqai: 2840 (45,675, 6th)
9 Volkswagen Golf: 2556 (62,021, 5th)
10 Volkswagen Polo: 2500 (41,901, 8th)

(The 2012 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class in ninth place with 37,261 units sold.)

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