PoloDriver

Now that the marketing machine has swung into action, Volkswagen South Africa has aired the first new TV commercial for the entry-level Polo Vivo. Created by Ogilvy Cape Town and with ‘So much to celebrate,’ the 60-second spot plays on the feelgood factor of the car that Volkswagen wants to use to capture potential Polo Vivo owners. The company will be hoping that, like the on-screen bystanders in the spot, prospective Vivo drivers will be carried along by a wave of euphoria for its new baby…

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Volkswagen South Africa has finally updated its website to list the new Polo Vivo among its model range. The new entry level Series 4F Polo/Polo Playa-based Volkswagen will, the company says, ‘set new benchmarks in its category for affordability, quality, safety, space and comfort.’ The Polo Vivo’s mission is a very simple one: to make motoring accessible to more South Africans (notably first-time buyers and pensioners, who may well then graduate to the new Polo, natch).

The hatchback and sedan are on sale now with 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre engines, starting at R101 500 for the base-model 1.4. It’s a popular car, too, with demand outstripping supply; Volkswagen South Africa says that 71,500 have been ‘exported’ so far (from a 50,000 target), the highest ever recorded. ‘So much to celebrate’ is the marketing message, and with that in mind, we thought we’d let you know that both wallpapers and a screensaver for your computer desktop are available to herald the Polo Vivo’s arrival. Preview them below and grab them here (click on ‘Wallpapers’).

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We don’t mind admitting that this was a surprise. For 25 years, the entry point into Volkswagen South Africa’s (VWSA) range was the Citi Golf, a heavily revised version of the Series 1 Golf. With the original Golf’s lifespan running from 1974 to 1983, VWSA decided to keep building the car it had been manufacturing locally since 1978, turning it into an inexpensive locally-made affordable base model. The Citi Golf did extremely well and in January 2010, more than a quarter of a century since it was first launched, the final car went on sale. Last week its successor was unveiled and, to be honest, it wasn’t what we were expecting.

The Polo Vivo is the company’s new entry-level car in the affordable A0 segment. Based on a heavily-revised and facelifted Series 4 (9N3) Polo, the newcomer gets a new slimline front grille and sculpted bumpers, all bearing more than a passing resemblance to those fitted to the new fifth-generation (6R) Polo launched in 2009. Other changes include the removal of the side rubbing strips and relocated side repeaters which now sit in the headlamps, moved down from the door mirrors.

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The UK’s Autocar reports that Volkswagen will is currently contemplating its motorsport future, and, excitingly, a decision to enter the 2012 World Rally Championship (WRC). The company will make a final decision on its motorsport plans later next month, but if the WRC promoters can convince the German giant of the series’ worth, a new 2.0-litre, 200bhp-plus Polo rally car could well be in the offing.

A tarmac or gravel-spec motorsport Polo is nothing new. Volkswagen launched the club-level Volkswagen Polo Rally Challenge in 2001 and officially fielded a Super 1600 version of the Polo GTI around the same time. There were Series 4 Polo-based rally cars, too, with entries in events in South Africa and Europe from 2002. Super 2000 (S2000) Polos were even running in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge as late as year. If WRC participation becomes a reality and the new Polo goes rallying, it will add yet another motorsport string to its bow; the track-based Volkswagen Polo Cup India starts in June.

Now that the ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup championship has been replaced by a Scirocco-based series and with the WRC reportedly switching to S2000 cars in 2011, the time could be right for a new motorsport version of the Polo. Autocar states that even Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen thinks a new Polo (or Golf) rally car could be a possibility: ‘If we decided to go with the WRC, my view is that we would need at least a year and a half to prepare, so we would be looking at coming in for 2012,’ he said.

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Not only has Volkswagen revealed the Indian market new Polo at the Auto Expo in New Delhi today, it also, more excitingly, announced plans for the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010, a one-make racing championship. It will be the world debut for the new Polo as a racing variant once the season gets underway on 30 May. Volkswagen report that only a few days after the production car makes its debut in New Delhi, the racing version will turn a wheel in anger, so we think it’s fair to expect some action in the next few days.

The new Polo racer is powered by a 1.6-litre TDI engine, developing 129bhp and linked to a six-speed manual gearbox. Adjustable race suspension also features, along with 17-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels and 200/60 section slick tyres. Distancing itself from the showroom model, the circuit Polo has an aerodynamic body kit, consisting of redefined rear bodywork with a distinctive ‘deflector vane’ and special wind tunnel-developed front, rear and side skirts. An uprated exhaust system emphasises the sporty looks, producing a more angry sound. Design work for the new Polo Cup car was carried out by Volkswagen Design in Braunschweig, so it should be a proper piece of racing kit.

‘The new road-going Polo’s attractive design makes it a veritable eye-catcher. Apart from the demands which motorsport makes on a car, this was a major development objective for the new racing version as well,’ explains Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen. ‘At Volkswagen, production development and motorsport work hand in hand, parallel to the presentation of the road car.’ In the cockpit, a Volkswagen sports-style steering wheel and a new shift gate add to the interior’s sporty appeal.

Just like the German ADAC Volkswagen Polo Cup series which ran from 2004 to 2009 (above), the Volkswagen Polo Cup India will nurture fledging racing talent. Twenty drivers aged 16 to 24 will be plucked from driving camps all over India and the series could be a launch pad into a professional touring car career. And, just like the German series, all 20 cars will be built centrally by motorsport engineers at Volkswagen (this time at the Pune factory) and feature professional data logging and analysis.

The Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 will be run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres. We’ll bring you more details of this exciting new chapter in the Polo’s motorsport career as we get them.

Volkswagen Polo Cup India race car specification
Model Polo Cup India race car
Displacement (cc) 1598
Power output 129bhp
Engine Modified ECU, engine mounts, flywheel, inlet and exhaust system
Transmission Front-wheel drive, six-speed manual with modified final drive and gear ratios, limited slip differential
Front and rear suspension Modified spring-damper units
Steering Electro-mechanical steering rack
Brakes 344mm discs, racing ABS system
Wheels 17-inch multi-spoke alloy
Tyres JK 200/60 R 17 racing slicks
Unladen weight (kg) 1060
Safety system HANS (head and neck support) with tubular steel integrated roll cage, racing seat with head protector
Dimensions (l/w/h mm, approximate) 3970/1901/1462

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