Volkswagen Polo

Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Warsaw, Dresden, Nürburgring, Wolfsburg, Berlin: You can reach them all with just 54 horsepower.

The newest car leaps to the MQB platform.

We may have to wait a while for Volkswagen to release a Polo R – in fact it may never reach American showrooms at all – but as a stopgap measure VW has released a pair of R-Line packages for its diminutive hatchback that at least make it look the part.

2011 Volkswagen Polo Sedan – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volkswagen Golf BiFuel – Click above for high-res image gallery

2011 Volkswagen Polo GTI – Click above for high-res image gallery

Volkswagen Polo GTI – Click above for high-res image gallery

If a report from Autocar India is to be believed, the upcoming four-door version of the Volkswagen Polo may be badged as the Vento in India. Vento is not a new name for VW – the Mk III Jetta sedan used that badge in the European market throughout the mid-90s.

The Jetta is Volkswagen of America's best-selling vehicle by a wide margin, accounting for more than half of the brands' 2009 sales. We've seen a bunch of spy shots of the upcoming revamp for the compact sedan and know it will get basically the same changes that were applied to the wagon for 2010. However, a new video posted by Inside Lin

At some point in the next couple of years it is probable that Volkswagen will introduce a new entry-level model below the Golf in the U.S. market. VW introduced an all-new version of its B-segment Polo earlier this year in Europe and VW of America officials are anxious to add the car to compete with the likes of the Honda Fit and Ford Fiesta.

Volkswagen Polo Commercial - click above image to watch the video

Australian motoring site CARSguide has done a round-up of affordable, practical and economical vehicle options on the local market. Looking at sub-$40,000 transport, their complete list of criteria in weighing up the models was: