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Ahead of a possible Geneva motor show reveal next spring, the new 2017 Volkswagen Polo has been spotted out and about in recent weeks. Heavily camouflaged versions of the new supermini have been seen piling on the miles in the most unlikely of places – the US. The Polo has never been sold Stateside (unlike its arch rival of 40 years, the Ford Fiesta), but various test cars have been spotted by Auto Express wearing Arizona licence plates.

Smallest MQB platform
Set to sit on the smallest of Volkswagen’s not-quite-so-new ‘MQB’ platform – which will eventually be shared with Audi, SEAT and Skoda variants – the new Polo will sport a slightly larger wheelbase for enlarged rear leg room, but the length will remain at close to four metres. Going by the spyshots, styling is expected to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

A host of small-capacity petrol engines will be boosted by turbochargers, while a new 1.5-litre diesel unit similar to one in use by Indian versions of the Polo will be drafted into service for the 2017 model. Transmissions are expected to be five and six-speed manuals, as well as the seven-speed DSG semi-automatic.

Polo GTI, but no GTE
Emissions are expected to be lower thanks to the revised and new efficient engines, but it’s not all economy and parsimony. Excitingly, one camouflaged car in the Auto Express spyshots looks to be a GTI, which signals that the ‘sports’ Polo will still have a place in the new line-up. Expect at least the 189bhp of the current ‘6C’ fifth-generation car, but sadly no hybrid ‘GTE’ version.

New connected technologies will play a major part in the sixth-generation model’s make-up, too. As with the revised variant introduced in 2014, touchscreen infotainment systems should feature throughout the range. And expect that range to broaden significantly with the introduction of the production version of the ‘T-Cross Breeze’ concept unveiled at the 2016 Geneva motor show – Autocar has papped this out testing, too.

‘Hybrid’ ‘PQ25’ chassis
The Polo is now a world car, on sale and doing good business in China, India, Russia, and South America among other places, but ET Bureau and Indian Autos Blog report that the 2017 car for India will be at least part-based on the current model, and not adopt quite so much of the new platform. this is thought to be down to cost-savings after the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions issue.

Slated for a 2018-2019 launch, the next-generation Polo and Vento (Polo saloon) for the Indian market are now expected to sit on the existing Polo’s ‘PQ25’ chassis, as will the new SUV version which is also thought to appear. A ‘hybrid’ mesh of the two old and new platforms is currently expected to work, although final details are still being finalised. New electrical systems are thought to provide the technology upgrades the emerging market Polo will demand.

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A German Polo website, vw-polo.net, reports that the facelifted Polo will appear at the Tokyo Motor Show in November, ahead of a 2014 market launch. Four years after the Polo 6R was launched, the major changes to revamped car are expected to be under the bonnet, reports the site, citing German motoring magazine Auto Motor und Sport as a reference. The smaller Volkswagen Up’s 59 and 74bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines are thought to make an appearance, ousting the current car’s 1.2-litre motor.

The 1.2-litre and 1.4-litre TSI engines will get boosts to 110 and 150bhp respectively, while the GTI will receive a 1.8-litre 185bhp unit. According to the magazine, the 1.2 and 1.4-litre TDI engines will be replaced by 1.4 motors of 74 and 104bhp (the same outputs as the current pair). The interior will be similar in style to the Mk 7 Golf, while the exterior will be little transformed. How much will become reality in Japan next month?

[Source: vw-polo.net]

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Polos do make it to the US after all! At least they do when it comes to testing of new model prototypes. While the Ford Fiesta gained a refreshing last year, the Polo’s rumoured facelift has been a long time coming. First launched at the Geneva Motor Show in 2009, the current fifth-generation Polo 6R has been on sale for over four years with no major changes. These pictures show something we’ve expected for a while – that changes are indeed afoot.

Undergoing hot weather testing in Death Valley, Eastern California, these test prototypes have undisguised rears suggesting that either no changes will be made to the Polo’s back end, or that if there are, they are yet to be grafted on. We would think that Golf 7-like rear lights would update the Polo’s rear view, and one of these cars is badge BlueGT, even though it’s running on GTI wheels. The front does show some disguise, though, suggesting new headlamps, grille and bumper. Renderings by Filipe Augustus show how these treatments may look.

As for engines, the current range of units are probably already as technologically advanced as they can be (with the exception of the lower 1.2-litre three-cylinder powerplants), but a newly-developed three-pot TSI lump similar to that of the Up city car could be slotted under the Polo’s nose. It is expected to develop between 60 and 90bhp, therefore replacing the 1.2-litre versions at a stroke. We expect the facelifted Polo 6R to be enjoy a world premiere at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland – an almost unheard of 5 years after its predecessor.

[Images: SB-Medien and Filipe Augustus]
[Sources: worldcarfans.com, autoevolution.com and noticiasautomotivas.com]

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The rumours still persist. Much has been reported about the Polo being sold Stateside, but as of yet, Volkswagen still limits sales of the car to outside the US. But, MotorTrend reports today that the company could be about to enter the subcompact segment ‘in a big way’. The next Polo will be based on Volkswagen’s MQB chassis architecture, which accepts front-wheel drive, four-wheel drive and hybrid/electric drivetrains, which will bring production costs down, making the car more marketable. MotorTrend reports that a full-electric version of the Polo will become a reality, closely related to the e-Golf which will launch later this year, and that a Volkswagen spokesman has confirmed the MQB Polo’s US availability.

What guise the car will be seen (if at all) in the US is still up for discussion. US car buyers favour traditionally-styled saloons over hatchbacks, but there’d be no worries for Volkswagen on that score. The Polo Sedan is currently sold in Russia and South Africa (to name but two markets), and is marketed as the Vento in India. With such a successful presence in overseas markets, the availability of a notchback version of the next-generation car is surely not up for discussion. Finally, MotorTrend also states that a small crossover version of the new Polo would be heading to US shores, too, taking on rivals from Ford, Honda, and Kia.

[Source: MotorTrend]

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As sales of the current car are high, German car magazine Auto Bild has published renderings of the fifth-generation Polo’s facelift, expected as soon as 2013. Reports also state that the new sixth-generation Polo will arrive in 2015. On the facelifted car, the biggest visual changes are at the front, where it gains a chrome-slatted grille linking the upturned headlights, as first seen on the Cross Coupé, which last appeared at this year’s Geneva motor show. Underneath those is an inset grille ‘face’ line, as seen on the smaller Up. At the rear are slim tailgate-split LED tail lights.

As far as model variants are concerned, the CrossPolo is destined to continue in the markets in which it currently serves, while a compact SUV-cum-MPV has also been mooted, although the green light is yet to be given. If it is, don’t expect it before summer 2016, when the sixth-generation model line is in full swing, alongside a hybrid twin-drive version. After that, Auto Bild states that a new Polo GTI will arrive in the autumn of 2016, with a blue-e-motion electric version later.

[Images: Auto Bild/Larson/Poblete]

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