With darkness hours about to get longer with the end of British Summer Time this weekend, Volkswagen UK is supporting TyreSafe’s winter tyre campaign with the launch of its own winter tyre programme. A cost-effective way for drivers to get the right winter tyres on their Volkswagen, a set of four tyres can be fitted to existing wheels, starting from £250 fully fitted. In addition, complete winter tyre and wheel sets are also available. The 15 to 19-inch alloy wheels specified in the programme have been designed to offer maximum anti-corrosion resistance to snow and salt, and start from £725 including fitting.

Volkswagen Accessories is also offering a similar programme on mainland Europe. For the Polo, the five-spoke ‘Sima’ alloy wheel is offered in both 14 and 15-inch sizes, with Semperit Master-Grip 185/60 R14 82T (€149.00) or Michelin Alpin A4 185/60 R15 88T EL (€179.00) tyres. The smaller rims and tyre set fit Series 4 (9N and 9N3) Polos built from 2002-2009, while the larger pairing fit all current 6R Polos, including standard, GTI, and Cross Polo models. As well as tyres and wheels, Volkswagen also offers durable high-quality nylon tyre/wheel storage bag – cost is £25 inclusive for a set of four.

As most people drive to and from work in the early morning and late afternoon, when temperatures are even lower than the daily average, Volkswagen states that winter tyres are recommended over summer tyres for up to six months of the year. Winter tyres use a rubber compound optimised for temperatures of less than seven degrees celsius. Conventional tyres become stiffer at low temperatures, but the winter compounds remain softer and therefore better able to maintain grip. They also benefit from a special tread pattern that optimises water displacement and additional grooves, called sipes, which help to maximise traction.

Winter tyres therefore help to provide better grip whether under cornering, braking, or acceleration, and whether the roads are wet, icy, snowy or simply cold. According to safety organisation tyresafe.org, they can reduce braking distances by up to 11 metres in icy conditions, and around eight metres (or two car lengths) on snowy roads. For more precise information on UK specifications, visit your Volkswagen Retailer or www.volkswagen.co.uk and for further details on the benefits of cold weather/winter tyres visit www.tyresafe.org/wintertyres.

Have a current fifth-generation Polo 6R? Is it not tasty enough for you? Then worry no more, as Volkswagen UK has released an Official Polo Accessories app for the ubiquitous Apple iPhone and iPad. Available free from the Apple App Store, the app is essentially a swish brochure to swipe and poke at, giving details of all the latest official accessories and trinkets that are available to make your Polo stand out from the crowd. There’s a video showcasing most of the external add-ons as well as some ‘lifestyle’ items, a general extras and sports section featuring body kits and styling addenda, and a wheels and tyres section (strangely using the US spelling of ‘tires’, when the Polo’s not even sold there). The wheels section is particularly nice, as the wheels are shown on an actual Polo, so you get an instant visual representation of what the choice will look like. All part numbers and prices are included, to help make ordering from a Volkswagen Retailer easy. Volkswagen UK has also launched similar Official Accessories apps for the Eos, Jetta and new Passat.

Fancy a mean Golf R/Porsche 911-like piercing LED stare from your 6R Polo? Or how about a bit of Audi LED-bling? Volkswagen Accessories in Germany has announced that current Polo (AO5) and Golf (AO6) models can be retrofitted with bright white LED daytime running lights. The 22 LEDs that make up each unit generate four times the luminosity of conventional parking/side lights and automatically start when the engine is turned on, going out when parking or low-beam headlights are illuminated, or, when the engine is turned off. The LED daytime runners are energy saving, too, and have 10,000 hours of operation – more than enough to bear down on that Corsa or Fiesta on the M1. Unlike the £745 Bi-Xenon headlamp units available as an optional extra on SEL and GTI Polo models, the retrofit LED lights are mounted on the front bumper. Ordering takes place via Volkswagen Retailers, although prices and availability for the UK has yet to be decided.

A more comprehensive version of this brochure has appeared on Volkswagen regional websites in Europe for quite some time now, but at last the UK gets its own specific official Volkswagen Genuine accessories catalogue. With sections on Sport & Styling (body kits, spoilers and sill trims), Alloys, Technology (mobile phone kits, sat-navs and upgraded radio units), Touring (roof bars and boxes), Child Seats, Convenience & Protection (mudflaps, boot liners and floor mats), Car Care and Volkswagen Collection, there should be something for everyone. Download your copy from the Volkswagen website.

Timed while it is showing the latest accessories for the Polo at the AMI Leipzig 2010 motor show – which ends this week – Volkswagen has recently introduced a promotion for German customers who want to add that little extra style to their new Polo, Golf and Scirocco. From 1 April to 30 June 2010, the ‘Enter low, get out large’ promotion (yes, the English translation seems to make little sense, we know, but all will become clear) enables customers who drive three of VW’s most popular models to get ‘attractive discounts’ on styling products and lowered suspension kits.

Official products for the Polo which qualify include front and rear aprons, side skirts, roof spoilers, racing pedals and lowered suspension springs. In addition, Motorsport-style multi-spoke 17” alloy wheels and carbon fibre-effect interior trim panels are also available. From what we can translate from the German press release, there is also an online ‘backwards’ auction, from which the winner with the lowest bid will receive a full body kit, a complete set of alloy wheels and a lowered suspension package, all to be fitted by a Volkswagen retailer. The promotion runs both in retailers’ showrooms and online. Visit Volkswagen Accessories’ German-language ‘Stylingaktion’ microsite for further details of the incentive.

Volkswagen will be showing its official accessories and lifestyle ranges as part of its stand at the AMI Leipzig motor show from 10 to 18 April. The Polo will be a major star at the event, with lowered suspension and aerodynamic body kits promoted, all of which enhance the fifth-generation model’s sporty looks. As well as the official accessories for the Polo, visitors to the Lifestyle part of the stand will be able to look at the clothing and home accessories available with the model’s branding.

Among the Polo products on offer are T-shirts, iPods and model cars. Other brands promoted will be GTI, Scirocco and T5. Model car collectors can also grab miniature versions of the new Touareg, Sharan and Amarok pick-up. Volkswagen Accessories GmbH is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG and develops accessories for the company’s passenger car and commercial vehicle ranges. There are over 8000 accessory products available in Sport & Design, Wheels & Tyres, Communication, Transport, Comfort & Protection, Service & Care and Lifestyle ranges, all sold through official Volkswagen retailers.

Click here for more information on the official Volkswagen accessory range or download the latest Polo accessory brochure (European specification).