PoloDriver

The latest issue of UK car news weekly Auto Express goes one better than its recent 2010 Polo GTI first drive by pitting VW’s latest performance newcomer against the SEAT Ibiza Bocanegra. Possibly the hot Polo’s most obvious rival, its Spanish rival packs the same 178bhp punch, provided by the same 1.4-litre TSI engine and coupled to the same seven-speed, paddle-operated DSG gearbox. Unsurprisingly, both sprint from 0 to 62mph in 6.9 seconds, but the Ibiza is only £17,245 compared to the Polo’s basic price of £18,275. Which car wins? We’ll leave you to head over here to read the twin test and find out the answer.

[Image: Nathan Morgan/Auto Express]

Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa title defender Mathew Hodges was the big winner of the second race weekend of the 2010 championship. Hodges was victorious on the 4.246-kilometre circuit at Kyalami, near Johannesburg in both rounds. Devin Robertson crossed the finish line as the runner-up of the first round, while Miguel Pasqualli came in third. Pasqualli was also on the podium for the second round, coming in behind Hodges. Bryan Morgan made up the top three, finishing race two in third place. The 2010 Volkswagen Polo Cup South Africa series is similar to the other racing Polo championships run in Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format highlights new young driving talent. As many as 30 drivers regularly take to the track in technically identical cars, full grids ensure close-fought races.

Volkswagen has recently released 11 clips of the Polo in production in the company’s Pamplona plant in Spain. The whole process has been documented, and includes: body manufacturing; dip priming of the body; painting; tolerance measuring in the cockpit; engine assembly; ‘marriage’ of the body and running gear; ceiling, door and front end assembly; and final inspection and vehicle testing. A truly world car, the Polo isn’t just manufactured in Spain. Right-hand drive models are made in South Africa at the Uitenhage factory, while facilities in Argentina (Pacheco), China (Shanghai) and Pune (India) also produce versions of the Polo.

Click on the video above to see a montage clip of the Polo in production at Pamplona and head here to subscribe to the PoloDriverTV channel on YouTube.

After the GTI, the new Polo Saloon (the Sedan nameplate seems to have been dropped) is the one incoming fifth-generation Polo variant that has grabbed the most headlines. Both long-awaited and long-rumoured, Volkswagen has officially unveiled the car today in Moscow. Tailor-made for the Russian market and expected to be priced from €10,000 (a very modest £8300 at current exchange rates), only one 1.6-litre 104bhp engine is available, with either a five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearbox.

To be built at Volkswagen’s brand new Kaluga factory in the traditional continental trims of Trendline, Comfortline and Highline, a version will also be sold in India later in the year. The biggest question of course, is whether this is the Polo model which will be heading Stateside? The latest in a line of European and global Polo notchbacks starting with the Derby in 1977, initial reports state that the new Saloon won’t be coming to the UK, where (unlike the US) buyers traditionally prefer hatchbacks. The full Volkswagen press release follows.

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Audi celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010, and part of its celebrations include the publication of Four Rings – The Audi Story, a 368-page book documenting the company’s illustrious and at times, ground-breaking past. Available in English and German language versions, Audi has posted new pages on its corporate website to document both the publication and the evolution of its models and, more excitingly, has released vintage colour publicity images of the Audi 50 at various locations.

The ‘new’ photographs depict the car in France as well as at the press launch in Sardinia in 1974, and have a typical Seventies look about them. The 50 is in the Four Rings book, too; a spread on pages 226 and 227 tell the development and production story of Audi’s premium supermini, on sale from 1974 to 1978. An online digital preview is available here; the book is published by Delius Klasing and can be ordered by clicking on this link. Head over to our Audi 50 publicity image gallery to see the new colour pictures.