Geneva Preview: Volkswagen unleashes the goods on new Polo
by Jeremy Korzeniewski on Mar 2nd 2009 at 5:29PM 
Click above for a high-res gallery of the Volkwagen Polo
Volkswagen is trotting out its new fifth-generation Polo at the Geneva Motor Show tomorrow, but we've got a slew of details and images of the new model to share today. Looking very much like a shrunken Pygmy Golf, it may take a trained eye to tell the difference between VW's newest hatchback and the current one at first glance. Volkswagen's keen to point out that the new Polo is a full 7.5% lighter than the outgoing model despite growing in every meaningful dimension, and it's still expected to score a perfect 5-star safety rating in Euro NCAP crash testing.
In Germany, the Polo will come with your choice of four gasoline and three diesel engines, many equipped with turbochargers and direct injection. VeeDub's latest 7-speed DSG transmission will also be available on select models. The most frugal trim will carry the BlueMotion badge and attain 62 mpg (U.S.) in European combined testing with just 96 grams CO2 per kilometer, which makes it the most fuel efficient diesel-burning 5-seater in the world.
Sales are slated to begin in Germany by the end of June with the rest of Europe coming just two weeks later. In case you missed it earlier, the Polo is finally coming to America, possibly as early as 2010, so VW definitely has our interest piqued. Check out our image gallery below and read the official press release after the break.
Gallery: 2010 Volkswagen Polo
[Source: Volkswagen]
PRESS RELEASE:
The New Polo – World Premiere at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show
The new Polo is one of the safest cars worldwide;
Polo's TDI and TSI engines noticeably reduce fuel costs
Wolfsburg / Geneva, 02 March 2009 - No other car in this class has such a mature and high-end image as the new Polo. Comfort, quality and safety have all taken a considerable leap forward. One example: the Polo was specifically designed to attain the recently established, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. The higher structural rigidity of the Polo's bodyshell contributes to these results. In the footwell area alone, intrusion – related to the car body's deformation strength in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 percent! In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent.
Standard equipment for safety
In addition, the European version of the Polo now being presented is equipped with standard ESP electronic stabilization program with Hill Hold Control, and it has a highly effective network of airbags on board, including combined head-thorax airbags (integrated in the front seatbacks), belt tensioners and belt force limiters plus seatbelt warning indicator and head restraints that counteract the risk of whiplash injury (both front seats), three rear head restraints and Isofix child seat preparation.
Weight down, fuel consumption down
Despite significant improvements in all aspects of the car, it was possible to reduce the Polo's body weight by 7.5 percent. The introduction of new TDI and TSI engines, as well as the 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DSG), has resulted in considerably reduced fuel consumption and emissions over a wide range of engine power outputs. An excellent example here is the new 1.2 TSI. This turbo-charged four-cylinder direct injection gasoline engine produces 77 kW / 105 PS, yet it consumes just 5.5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers (129 g/km CO2); this is 19 percent less than on the equivalent model of the previous generation!
In total, seven different engines will be offered on the new Polo in its first year – four gasoline and three diesel – spanning a power range from 44 kW / 60 PS to 77 kW / 105 PS. Five of these engines are entirely new or are being used for the first time in the Polo.
The new engines include all three TDIs (turbo-diesel direct-injection); thanks to the implementation for the first time of common rail technology in the Polo, these engines are both efficient and refined. The potential in the new TDI engines is clearly evident in the example of the Polo 1.6 TDI with 66 kW / 90 PS: when combined with a "BlueMotion package", its average fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 kilometers and 96 g/km CO2 makes it the most fuel efficient and lowest emitting five-seater diesel in the world. The "BlueMotion package" may be combined with any of the three equipment lines developed for the Polo. Available for selection here are the base version "Trendline", the mid-level "Comfortline" and the top of the line "Highline".
Individually combinable high-tech features
Options that Polo drivers will be able to order on their new Volkswagen include static turning lights integrated in the front fog lights, (from "Comfortline" up), side curtain airbags (head airbag system for front and rear passengers), radio and radio-navigation systems and integrated hands-free telephone systems. A panorama sunroof and bi-xenon headlights will follow at a later time.
Market launch starts the end of June
Start of production of the five-door Polo is scheduled for the end of March. This will be followed, starting in the last week in June, by the market launch of the visually and technically advanced new edition of the million unit bestseller in Germany. Just two weeks later, thanks to an ambitious logistics plan, Volkswagen will begin selling the car across mainland Europe, and soon Polo engines will be revving up across all continents.
Note:
All data and equipment contained in this press release apply to models offered in Germany. They may differ in other countries. All information is subject to change or correction.
TDI, TSI, DSG and Twincharger are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG or other companies of the Volkswagen Group in Germany and other countries.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
slicecom 5:36PM (3/02/2009)
I would love to own one of these.
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GOT 7:51AM (3/05/2009)
Same here!
Ligor 5:36PM (3/02/2009)
somhow I like it better than the wabit
it's not as girly and the interor looks nice
even the materials look nice from the photo
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zamafir 5:44PM (3/02/2009)
I like it better too, nicer looking (then again all of the MkVIs will be, the MkVs being an engineering exercise and the MkVIs being a styling one). Very Very nice, i'd take one over a fit or cube.
BigWill 5:42PM (3/02/2009)
Only thing is it's from VW, which means a Polo SEL will sticker for $25K
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Max 5:48PM (3/02/2009)
LOOKS AWESOME!!! The 1st ever Polo I really like !! Except for the bland/conservative/sad looking dashboard.
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toneh 10:10PM (3/02/2009)
Me too first polo i likee!! I do like the dashboard though...
sibbe 5:48PM (3/02/2009)
looks nice :D! better than expected
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thecarnerds com 5:49PM (3/02/2009)
I love it.
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why not the LS2LS7? 5:52PM (3/02/2009)
The accouterments in the interior on this model are optimistically high end.
I can't imagine the lowest end VW is going to be ordered often with the highest-end stereo in the US.
All in all, I think VW would be smarter to just offer a fuel efficient engine in the Golf before they bother to go whole hog bringing the Polo here. Even a 2.0L NA engine would be an improvement on the current offerings, and if they really want to make it efficient, they could go down to 1.6L or 1.8L (folks with the 1.4L Euro Golf are probably chuckling at me right now).
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zamafir 6:04PM (3/02/2009)
indeed, and the cloth seats as well, why not include the base cardboard boxes which will be the throne of choice? Seriously, the one wacky option is their new budget GPS and that causes your focus to shift away from that cluster, wheel, generally very high end looking fit and finish for a car in this class? I'm with you regarding that tractor of a 2.5 we get standard, and I know VW does nothing but cause you anguish but seriously, some credit where it's due won't hurt.
why not the LS2LS7? 6:47PM (3/02/2009)
Oh, the wheel... You know that control on the steering wheel is optional, right? Oh, and that data display in the instrument cluster you speak of? Optional. Hell, it's not even OPTIONAL on two of the 3 Polos models in the UK, it's unavailable. How about those 3 power window switches over there? On one model, you can't even get power windows. On the 2nd, the rear rear power windows are unavailable, on the 3rd, rear power windows are $300. How about the cruise control lever? Not even available on 3 of the models, $400 on the 3rd.
And we already covered the super high-end radio. Don't forget the climate-control system (which still looks kinda cheap but is optional).
Isn't it interesting that EVERYTHING you listed as showing how great this interior is is optional? It's not coincidence.
Now none of this is absolutely sure, since this is the outgoing model. But my point still stands. If you stop looking at the optional items (steering wheel, instrument cluster, radio), what is left is very ordinary. Go look at a Polo you actually see on the streets in Europe and you'll very quickly see the difference. The interior looks workable, but it looks cheap. And you know what? It is cheap.
Perhaps you need to give a little credit exactly where it is due and not fall for this completely trimmed-out show pony. You do realize how much options are on German cars, right? By the time you configure a Polo like this, even in the US, you're going to be looking at more than a Golf base model.
James 7:49PM (3/02/2009)
Um, have you looked at a Polo's spec sheet? The Polo is SUPPOSED to be a cheap car. But I'd venture to say even a low-end Polo will have quite a competitive interior for the price range.
And every automaker publishes pictures of top-of-the line models at press release. You think Pontiac was gushing over pictures of the base G8 when it debuted? That's not anything new!
You seem to just be ranting about VW without any basis. It's a pity you're so biased, because this new vehicle actually looks quite nice, and I hope it will be a nice addition to American roads once the economy picks up.
why not the LS2LS7? 8:32PM (3/02/2009)
What are you talking about?
Yes, it's supposed to be a cheap car. So let's see the cheap model so we can compare!
I'm saying that if you look at this gussied up interior, you're looking at a Polo that costs as much as a Rabbit. Is a Polo going to sell well in the US with the same price tag as a Rabbit?
I'm also saying that despite your assertions, if you look at what actually comes on the car, the interior is not nearly as nice as these pictures make it seem. You see the fancy parts (like Zamafir) and that misleads you as to what the rest of the car is like. It's a very basic car, and the cloth doors show well what the car really tends to look like in the real world in Europe. It's a cheap car, with a cheap car interior.
I priced out the options pictured on a UK spec current-gen Polo. You can't get the RCD 510 radio. You can't get the electric side mirrors. I assumed the model pictured does not have ESP (or at least you don't pay for it). And yet the options pictured still increase the price of the car over 60% from the base model.
Now, US options spec is generally higher, so we wouldn't see a 60% price bump to configure the car like that, you basically get a bigger bundle of options included, instead of paying for them separately (a big boon with German options pricing). But you're still going to see very close to price parity on this vehicle compared to a base Rabbit.
That's what my point is. Not that VW is a ripoff or whatever. I'm just saying how much are people willing to pay for this car pictured (minus radio)?
So, VW can bring it here as a very basic car, in which case it'll be cheaper than a Rabbit, but it'll be more like a Hyundai Accent inside. Or they can bring this car pictured, in which case it'll be nice inside, but it'll cost the same (or perhaps more) as a Rabbit, which is going to put a damper on sales.
Let's say the Rabbit is right now $16,300 (the base 3-door model price). If this car as pictured but with a cheaper radio comes in at $15,100, how will it sell?
Faced with these two options, I think the smart move is to ignore both options instead go with option 3, which is to offer the Rabbit with a more sensible engine and slightly lower price. At least at first, and gauge what people are interested in in this market.
Mike 5:55PM (3/02/2009)
VW is really knocking it out of the park lately, keep it up.
And bring the Scirocco to the US!
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k.w.a 6:03PM (3/02/2009)
amen.
I just recently became a VW fan so im very glad to see this. I just drove a Jetta from Pennsylvania to Michigan from 60 degrees and sunny weather to 20 degrees and heavy fog, heavy rain, snow, and ice for 9 hours, and the Jetta never once slid, whined or tried very hard. plus the interior was nice. i'm sure the Polo wouldn't be that much different and IMO it looks better than the Jetta and the Golf
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GusTurbo 6:11PM (3/02/2009)
I see a bit of Scirocco in the headlights. I like.
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Aki 6:11PM (3/02/2009)
I just hope they bring the Polo GTI. This one looks nice, better than the Rabbit.
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wvuquentin 6:12PM (3/02/2009)
Seems quite nice. Now, where is the Polo GTI?
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chris 6:18PM (3/02/2009)
This looks great. More than makes up for the disappointing looking new Golf. Presumably the GTi will come about 6 months after the standard car launches.
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