PoloDriver

Following their announcement last October that multi-spoke 17 and 18-inch alloy wheels and lowering springs will be available for the new Polo, German tuners JE Design have gone one better and built a tuned version of Volkswagen’s new baby. Primarily to promote the company’s new programme for the car, to our eyes, the striking JE Design striking fifth-generation Polo is similar in style to the Volkswagen Polo Cup India race cars.

The chaps from Leingarten have manufactured their own parts for the body kit from high quality ABS plastic to an original equipment specification. A unique CNC-milling process ensures a perfect fit and the carbon-look bumper inserts, together with the headlamp eyebrows, add a touch of menace. The body kit (which also includes deeper side skirts) is priced at €1528 including VAT, while the twin sports exhausts which poke out of the carbon-look rear lip are €599.

LED daytime running lights can be added for €399 and are fitted in the standard front bumper air inlets. JE Design state that they have two uses; when dipped headlights are turned on, the LEDs become parking lights while when main headlamps are engaged, traffic safety is improved as the LEDs are much brighter, like most modern-day Audis. At the moment, it appears to be more show than go, with no engine upgrades listed. Contact official JE Design UK importers Prestige Styling or JE Design direct for more details.

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Not content with being named as European Car of the Year 2010, the new Polo is also contesting the World Car of the Year 2010 title. An award from across the Pond, the new fifth-generation has made the final shortlist of ten cars for the award, now in its seventh year.

Drawn up in a secret ballot by 59 international motoring journalist jurors, who represent (among others) Asia, Europe, North America and South America, the ten cars in the running for World Car of the Year 2010 are:

• Audi Q5
• BMW X1
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Kia Soul
• Mazda3
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Opel/Vauxhall Insignia/Buick Regal
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Polo

A final round of voting will take place later this month, after the judging panel have re-evaluated the top ten cars, rating them in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal and significance (whatever that may be).

The top three finalists for World Car of the Year 2010 (and sister gong World Performance Car of the Year 2010) will be announced at the Geneva motor show on Tuesday 2 March 2010, with the winners revealed at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday 1 April 2010. Will the Polo win? We’d be surprised as it’s not currently sold in the US, but Volkswagen is no stranger to the World Car of the Year podium – the Mk 6 Golf won the coveted award last year.

Do you think the Polo should be crowned Word Car of the Year 2010 in addition to European Car of the Year 2010? Start the discussion by leaving a comment below.

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Another Polo milestone was reached today, as the 11,111,111th unit of Volkswagen’s best-seller left the production line at the company’s new Pune plant in India. The Flash Red model left the assembly line and was welcomed by Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG with responsibility for Group Production, German President Horst Köhler, Jörg Müller, President and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group India, and John Chacko, Technical Director of Volkswagen India (pictured, from left to right above).

The new Polo commenced production at the high-tech Pune facility in December 2009 and the variant produced there was specially designed for the local market, so differs slightly in specification to models manufactured in Europe. The €580m plant is the largest investment by a German company in India, has an annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles and also makes the variants of the current Škoda Fabia.

Heizmann emphasised that, ‘The Polo built at the Pune plant demonstrates that excellent vehicles are created when German engineering prowess interacts perfectly with Indian skills. We are determined to bring the Polo’s European success story to India.’ Celebrating the latest Polo production milestone since the model’s introduction in 1975, he continued, ‘Volkswagen will tap its opportunities in India with vehicles like the Polo, our modern plant in Pune and a highly-motivated workforce.’

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Eibach is the latest company to offer suspension upgrades for the new Polo and just like the donor car itself, comfort, enhanced dynamism and safety are all key requirements for any offerings from the German tuner. Acquired racing know-how from motorsport activities is felt in the company’s products and Eibach says that even with the lowered centre of gravity offered by its Pro-Kit Performance springs, there is no loss of comfort. Other (predictable) advantages are that the new Polo becomes more sporty and the road-holding is improved.

Ride height can also be altered to an individual’s taste with Pro-Street-S coil overs and together with the Pro-Spacer wheel spacers, provides even better handling. Made of high-strength aluminium, the spacers push the wheels out to the corners of the car, giving it a wider stance and adding extra stability. All Eibach suspension components for the new Polo (6R) are available through authorised resellers and are provided with high quality anti-corrosion protection and are fully TÜV-certified.

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