08 January 2022 ~ 0 Comments

Polo named the UK’s most popular Volkswagen in 2021; brand is UK’s no 1

New figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the Polo was the most popular Volkswagen in the UK during 2021. More than 30,634 Polos were registered in the UK last year – that’s 394 more than even the perennial Golf.

The small Volkswagen was the fifth most popular car overall, and the third most popular supermini, following the Vauxhall Corsa in first place (40,914 units) and the Mini (31,792 units). The Corsa knocked the Ford Fiesta from its long-held top spot, thanks in part to the sem-conductor chip shortage which has plagued the car industry during 2021 and looks set to continue into 2022.

Volkswagen is UK’s most popular car brand
While the Polo missed out on a place in December’s UK top ten of most popular models, it was the most popular car in the UK twice during 2021, the first time in July, the second in October. The popularity of the Polo helped Volkswagen become the UK’s most popular car brand in 2021, with a total of 147,826 vehicles registered. 

The new all-electric ID 3 and ID 4 cars also aided Volkswagen’s rise to the top, with the ID 3 being the UK’s third most popular electric car in 2021, with 11,032 finding homes. It was also the recipient of 11 of Volkswagen’s 30 UK awards, while its ID 4 sibling was named World Car of the Year. Volkswagen’s share of the UK car market now stands at 8.97 per cent, and it leads the market for the first time.

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during 2021 were as follows:

1 Vauxhall Corsa: 40,914
2 Tesla Model 3: 34,783
3 Mini: 31,792
4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 30,710
5 Volkswagen Polo: 30,234
6 Volkswagen Golf: 30,240
7 Nissan Qashqai: 29,922
8 Ford Puma: 28,697
9 Kia Sportage: 27,611
10 Toyota Yaris: 27,415

The updated version of the sixth-generation Polo went on sale in September 2021, after being unveiled in April. As well as a more digitised interior, the new Polo has sharper looks, and a new range of trim levels. A new more powerful 204bhp Polo GTI opened for UK order in November.

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06 August 2021 ~ 0 Comments

Chart-topper! Volkswagen Polo is crowned the most popular car in the UK

That was a turn up for the books. A mainstay in the UK’s most popular cars chart for over a decade, the Volkswagen Polo is a favoured choice among UK drivers. However, in July 2021, it was the most beloved model of all. According to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Polo was the most popular car in July 2021, with 3,047 registered, 46 cars ahead of the Toyota Yaris.

In terms of year-to-date figures, the Polo has risen one position to seventh place with a total of 18,601 registered cars, 476 ahead of, yes, that pesky Toyota. The Vauxhall Corsa still tops 2021’s aggregate figures with 26,215 cars finding new homes, with the once unassailable Ford Fiesta in second place with 23,521 registrations.

Strangely, the Corsa doesn’t even appear in the July chart, and even the Fiesta is in ninth place, perhaps suggesting the global semiconductor chip shortage could be playing a part in the shake-up. Of course, we’d say that everyone has finally cottoned on to what we’ve known for decades: the Polo is the best supermini out there… For whatever reason, though, it’s finally number one, and we’re celebrating it!

For UK drivers who have embraced the Volkswagen Polo as their top choice, enhancing this beloved model’s capabilities is as important as its popularity itself. Amidst this shift in the automotive landscape, ensuring your cherished Polo is equipped with the latest features is a prudent move. Many car enthusiasts are turning to auto electricians for expert services, such as installing a dash camera, to bolster their vehicles’ functionality and safety. With the rising demand for cutting-edge technologies and customizations, trusted auto electricians play a pivotal role in keeping these favored cars up-to-date and perfectly tailored to their owners’ needs.

Supply chain shortages
The Polo’s success comes against a backdrop of the weakest July new car registrations since before the millennium. A total of 123,296 new cars were registered in July 2021, which the SMMT attributes to supply chain shortages and the UK’s Covid-app ‘pingdemic’. July’s figures were down by 29.5 per cent compared to 2020, and when compared to the last decade, totals were down 22.3 per cent on the average recorded over the past 10 years.

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during July 2021 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Polo: 3,047 (18,601, 7th)
2 Toyota Yaris: 3,001 (18,125, 8th)
3 Kia Sportage: 2,631 (18,941, 6th)
4 Ford Puma: 2,621 (20,853, 5th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 2,362 (21,970, 3rd)
6 Audi A3: 2,300
7 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 2,186 (21,684, 4th)
8 Mini: 2,138
9 Ford Fiesta: 2,010 (23,521, 2nd)
10 Hyundai Kona: 2,006

(The 2021 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from July’s registration figures were the first-placed Vauxhall Corsa, the ninth-placed NissanQashqai, and the tenth-placed BMW 3 Series with 26,215, 17,812 and 17,188 units recorded respectively.)

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05 July 2021 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo was the UK’s sixth most popular car in June 2021

Following its return to the UK’s most popular cars chart in May 2021, the Volkswagen Polo solidified its major player status in June, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 3,752 Polos registered, the small VW was in sixth place, ahead of other superminis such as the Toyota Yaris and the Mini hatch. In terms of the top 10 most popular cars chart for the year-to-date figures, the Polo is up two places from May, and now sits in eighth place with 15,554 registrations.

The Vauxhall Corsa continued its slide from the top spot and was placed fourth in June, with 4,375 registrations. The top placed supermini, the Vauxhall was one spot ahead of the Ford Fiesta (3,811 registrations) while May’s chart-topping car, the VW Golf, had to settle for second position in June ahead of the Ford Puma. The number one most popular car in the UK for June 2021 was the all-electric Tesla Model 3.

Superminis most popular
The SMMT reports that 186,128 new cars were registered in June, which is 28 per cent up from the same month in 2020 when retailers opened after the pandemic. The figure is down 16.4 per cent on the 10-year June average and down 26.8 per cent year-to-date, thanks in part to the global shortage of semiconductor chips. Once again, superminis – cars like the Polo – remained the UK’s most popular car choice, with a 34.1 per cent share. 

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during June 2021 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Tesla Model 3: 5,468
2 Volkswagen Golf: 4,629 (19,608, 3rd)
3 Ford Puma: 4,477 (18,232, 5th)
4 Vauxhall Corsa: 4,375 (24,399, 1st)
5 Ford Fiesta: 3,811 (21,511, 2nd)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 3,752 (15,554, 8th)
7 Toyota Yaris: 3,456 (15,124, 10th)
8 Mini: 3,506
9 BMW 3 Series: 3,048 (15,402, 9th)
10 Kia Sportage: 2,957 (16,310, 7th)

(The 2021 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from June’s registration figures were the fourth-placed Mercedes-Benz A-Class and the sixth-placed Nissan Qashqai with 19,498, and 16,842 units recorded respectively.)

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo GT

Polo Vivo tops South African charts
In figures released by Volkswagen South Africa, the Polo Vivo remains the new car registrations champion in South Africa, with 11,560 cars finding homes in the first six months of 2021. The sixth-generation Polo was in runner-up position, with 9,045 examples produced and exported by Volkswagen South Africa’s Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) factory. The company also registered over 32,600 vehicles in the first half of 2021, with the 3,893 Polo-based T-Cross compact SUVs registered, more than half of the company’s SUV registrations. Notable VW launches over the coming months include the arrival of the Golf 8 GTI in South Africa.

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06 June 2021 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo was the third most popular car in the UK during May 2021

The Volkswagen Polo made a triumphant return to the most popular cars in the UK chart in May, according to figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). With 3,518 Polos registered, the small VW was in an amazing third place, up six positions from April’s figures. May’s boost helped it re-enter the top 10 most popular cars chart for the year-to-date, where it sits in tenth place with 11,802 registrations.

The Vauxhall Corsa has topped the monthly chart for the past few months, but slipped to second place in May 2021, with 3,643 registrations. The Volkswagen Golf took the top spot with 4,181 registrations, the arrival of the newest eighth-generation model now fully embedded in the UK. Volkswagen as a brand is also the most-registered marque in the UK for 2021 so far, its 65,955 registrations beating Ford’s total of 60,464.

Eight-fold increase
In May, the SMMT reports that 156,737 new cars registered in May, which is significantly up from 2020 when retailers were closed because of the pandemic. This total is also almost an eight-fold increase on the same month last year, but is down -14.7 per cent on pre-pandemic May 2019, and -13.2 per cent on the 10-year May average. Once again, superminis – cars like the Polo – remained Britain’s most popular car choice, with a 31.1 per cent share. Total registrations for 2021 sit at 296,448 fewer units, or -29.1 per cent less than the average recorded across January to May during the last decade.

The UK’s top ten most popular new cars during May 2021 and the year-to-date (registration figure and position in brackets) were as follows:

1 Volkswagen Golf: 4,181 (14,979 4th)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 3,643 (20,024, 1st)
3 Volkswagen Polo: 3,518 (11,802, 10th)
4 Mercedes-Benz A-Class: 3,922 (16,752, 3rd)
5 Ford Puma: 3,158 (13,755, 6th)
6 Kia Sportage: 2,956 (13,363, 7th)
7 Ford Fiesta: 2,794 (17,700, 2nd)
8 Toyota Yaris: 2,578
9 Mini: 2,561
10 Audi A3: 2,489

(The 2021 year-to-date top ten most popular cars absent from the May 2021 UK registration figures were the fifth-placed Nissan Qashqai, the eighth-placed Volvo XC40, and the ninth-placed BMW 3 Series with 14,447, 12,449 and 12,354 units recorded respectively.)

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18 January 2021 ~ 0 Comments

Volkswagen Polo Vivo crowned 2020’s most popular car in South Africa

2018 Volkswagen Polo Vivo

Volkswagen Group South Africa took the vehicle registrations top spot for 2020 in the local market, with the Polo Vivo once again crowned the country’s most popular new car. A total of 19,750 units of Volkswagen South Africa’s entry-level model were registered in the pandemic-hit year, almost a third of the VW-brand’s 53,319 recorded registrations.

The sixth-generation Polo-based T-Cross SUV was South Africa’s most popular imported car, with 5,693 units registered. Now the country’s second most popular vehicle in the A0 SUV segment, the T-Cross has fast found favour, on sale in South Africa for less than two years.

2019 Volkswagen T-Cross

A total of 63,482 vehicles were registered by Volkswagen Group South Africa in 2020 and the Volkswagen brand’s market share of 21.6 per cent is the highest in the company’s long history in South Africa. Audi also ended the year with an improved market share, up to 18.5 per cent, and even Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles enjoyed a record full-year 3.7 per cent piece of the light commercial pie. The Audi Q2 and Volkswagen Caddy were the respective star players.

‘A challenging year’
‘2020 was a challenging year not just for our brands but for the motoring industry as a whole and to come out of 2020 still holding onto our leadership of the passenger car market is an incredible feat,’ stated Mike Glendinning, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) sales and marketing director.

‘VWSA was severely affected by the pandemic which ground vehicle sales to a halt in April; our 2020 sales are down by 28.9 per cent year-on-year when compared to 2019,’ said Glendinning. ‘Despite the difficulties we faced, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand posted a record market share last year; the 21.6 per cent market share is 1.2 per cent higher than that of 2019 and is the highest market share in the history of the brand, as well as the highest market share of Volkswagen markets across the world,’ Glendinning added.

Production milestone
In November 2020, Volkswagen South Africa’s Uitenhage factory celebrated the four millionth car to roll off its lines. Currently the home of the Polo for local and export markets, as well as the Polo Vivo, the plant built 75,521 Polos for export up until the celebratory milestone, as well as 12,804 units for local consumption. A total of 17,038 Polo Vivos were also produced for the local market, the only one in which it is sold.

It looks to be another busy year for Volkswagen South Africa, with the brand celebrating its 70th birthday in August 2021. The year will be kickstarted by the arrival of the eighth-generation Golf GTI, followed later by the new Golf R and refreshed Tiguan. New versions of the Caddy and T6.1 Kombi will also debut. In the wider group sphere, Audi’s new A3 will also appear, along with refreshed versions of the RS 4, RS 5, RS 6, RS 7, RS Q8, RS Q3, and R8.

Steffan Knapp has also replaced Martina Biene as the head of the Volkswagen Passenger Car Brand in South Africa, and joins from Volkswagen India where he successfully turned the brand around. The fifth-generation Polo and its Vento saloon sister were launched there in 2010.

Elsewhere in the world, the sixth-generation Polo was the eighth most popular car in the UK, with 26,965 units registered (with grey the most popular colour – what a very imaginative bunch the British car buying public is!). According to focus2move.com, up until December 2020, the Polo was also the third most popular car in Europe during the year, its 225,941-unit total down 27.5 per cent compared to 2019. Behind its second-placed Golf sibling (283,614 units) and the top-spot Renault Clio (314,357 units), over 14 million Polos have been produced since its introduction in 1975.

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