PoloDriver

Contrasting with Volkswagen South Africa’s ‘Date Drive’ campaign, Volkswagen Singapore are launching the latest Polo GTI with the help of international beat-boxer Dharni Ng, and just like the South African campaign, the multimedia activities are aimed to get at younger drivers into the performance Polo. The one-minute commercial produced by advertising agency Tribal DDB Singapore – that accompanies an online game – sees noises from the car mixed into Ng’s beat-box soundtrack. The online game meanwhile, tests potential beat-boxer’s skills, with the winner getting the use of a Polo GTI for a weekend (a similar tactic to the South African campaign, where Polo GTIs are delivered when two Twitter users agree to a date) and runs until 8 May. More information on the Singaporean Polo GTI can be found here.

[Source: Adweek.com]

In the third rounds of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup last weekend at the Scribante Raceway near Port Elisabeth, Devin Robertson and Lee Thompson each celebrated a race win. In the aggregate score of both races, victory of the day went to the 18-year-old Robertson in front of Lee Thompson and Kosie Weyers, who clinched second and sixth places respectively in the field of the 25 Volkswagen Polo racers.

The 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup series is similar to the other racing VW Polo Cup single-series championships run in both Europe and India. Just as in those series, the one-make format particularly highlights a wealth of new young driving talent. In the Engen championship, as many as thirty drivers regularly take to the track in technically-identical, 2.0-litre, 234bhp Volkswagen Polo Vivo racers. The next rounds of the 2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup are scheduled for 4 June at the Phakisa circuit in Welkom.

[Source: Volkswagen South Africa // Images: keino@quickpic]

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2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup: Scribante

2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup: Scribante – Devin Robertson

2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup: Scribante – Lee Thompson

2011 Engen Volkswagen Cup: Scribante – Kosie Weyers

First Europe, then the UK, Australia and Singapore. Now the next launch pad for the Polo GTI (6R) is South Africa. Building demand and teasing prospective buyers is this Ogilvy Cape Town-produced ‘Coming Soon’ 40-second preview film, which shows scant details about the car itself. With a nod to the ‘light’ campaign which heralded the fifth-generation Polo’s arrival in 2009, this clip directs would-be GTI drivers to the preview website – http://www.datedrive.co.za/ – where they can submit their details to Volkswagen South Africa in order to learn more about the car. Eager South African hot Polo fans can also catch up with the drip-feed information by following an active and dedicated Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/DateDrive. Facebook users can also share the video with their friends.

The mammoth annual classic car event that is Techno Classica Essen, takes place over five days in Essen (no!) in Germany, and 2011’s event from 30 March to 3 April saw, as in previous years, a predictably large Volkswagen Group attendance. As well as official stands from Volkswagen Classic – showing Karmann-based prototypes and vehicles from Osnabrück, including a 1973 Passat, 1974 Scirocco, Series 1 Golf Cabriolet prototype and the premiere of the new Series 6 Golf Cabriolet – Hall 8.1 offered a smattering of VW-brand clubs, and among them, IG Typ 86, and a trio of motorsport Polos. Sebastian Winkler of www.g-lader.info has kindly given us permission to use these photos of the Series 1 Polo track-based wide-arch Polos, and a rally-spec Group H Series 2 Polo G60. More pictures and Sebastian’s HD video of the Techno Classica Essen 2011 event can be found here.

[Images: Sebastian Winkler]

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Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

Techno Classica Essen 2011: IG Type 86 stand

This almost passed us by. It seems that Volkswagen UK has quietly taken a duster and carried out some spring cleaning to the Polo range. Prices increased slightly on 1 April 2011 (new price list here), and the company replaced the 74bhp variant of the 1.6-litre TDI engine with a 1.2-litre unit of the same power. Related to the super-frugal 1199cc unit in Polo BlueMotion models and used in other Polo ranges worldwide, the new engine pumps out 102g/km, rather than the BlueMotion’s 91g/km. The new engine is available in SE trim only, costing £13,735 in three-door form and £14,355 for five doors. High-specification SEL TDI models continue with the 89bhp 1.6-litre unit as before. Volkswagen UK has also recently extended its £299, limited offer, 3-year/30,000-mile (whichever is soonest) fixed price servicing deal, which now runs until 30 June 2011. For more details, go to www.volkswagen.co.uk/#/new/polo-v. In other Polo-related news, the Polo GTI was launched in Singapore on Monday.