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VW cuts Polo fuel use by 20% with new engines, adds infotainment system

The refreshed Polo

The refreshed Polo

The refreshed Polo

The refreshed Polo

The CrossPolo

24th June 2014

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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South Africa is the world’s third-largest Polo market, at 24 994 units sold in the first five months of the year.

To be fair, this includes sales of the South African-only Polo Vivo (the fourth generation Polo), as well as the fifth-generation Polo, now rejuvenated with a new engine line-up and infotainment system, among other features.

The top Polo market is China, at 68 181 units year-to-end-May, followed by Russia, at 26 381 units. Germany is fourth, at 23 598 units.

Around 105 000 Polos and Polo Vivos have been sold locally since the launch of the vehicles in 2010, with these models almost without exception taking the number one and two positions on the South African monthly passenger-car sales charts.

The market segment in which the Polo family competes made up 46% of the South African passenger car market for the first five months of the year. It is the segment for more affordable vehicles, and sales have picked up the pace as the economy has cooled significantly since January.

Polo sales in South Africa are impressive, with South Africa a “very important” Polo market for Volkswagen, says Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) sales and marketing director Petra Hoffmann.

Both the Polo and Polo Vivo are produced at VWSA’s Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape, with the Polo also exported to a number of markets, such as Ireland and Japan.

Polo exports from Uitenhage are expected to reach around 50 000 units this year, similar to the volume exported last year, but 5 000 units up on the forecast at the beginning of the year, owing to Europe’s steady economic recovery, says VWSA communications GM Matt Gennrich.

In 2013, 23 501 new Polo hatchbacks were sold in South Africa.

With the new, refreshed Polo, VWSA aims to make sure the popular model retains its pole position, says Hoffmann.

The new Polo now, for the first time, offers a range of equipment as standard on the vehicle, previously sold as extras, such as air conditioning and a radio system. (Years ago that second mirror on the car was also an optional extra, as was the zeitgeist then.)

Visually, the new Polo has a redesigned front bumper and larger lower air intake.

The model range comes in three equipment levels, Trendline, Comfortline and Highline. Customers can also opt for the more rugged-looking CrossPolo.

Assistance systems include the automatic post-collision braking system, as standard. This system automatically brakes the vehicle once in an accident, in order to prevent a subsequent collision.

The Polo’s radio has been upgraded into an infotainment system. Two touch screen versions are available: the Composition Touch model is the entry level, and has a five-inch, monochrome screen, coupled with four speakers, SD-card slot, as well as AUX-IN interfaces.

This system is standard with the bottom of the range Trendline.

The more sophisticated version, the Composition Colour unit, offers a five-inch colour display, two additional rear loudspeakers, CD player, MP3 functionality, SD-card input and USB and Bluetooth connectivity.

“Probably, by our own admission, this is where we were a little bit behind on the car,” says VWSA product marketing manager Hein Schafer.

The infotainment system links up with the driver’s smartphone through MirrorLink, which has been jointly developed by the automotive and phone industries, explains Volkswagen small car product line marketing head Martina Biene.

This system allows the driver to make use of his or her smartphone apps in the vehicle, while Volkswagen also offers some of its own apps.

Two phones can be coupled to the system at the same time; but note, however, that only Android phones will be accepted. The inclusion of Apple is in the works for next year – hopefully, says Biene.

The new Polo is launched with more fuel-efficient TSI engines, which replace the previous engine range.

Initially, only the four-cylinder 1.2 TSI engines will be available, with a power output of either 66 kW or 81 kW.

The two 1.2 TSI engines replace the 1.4 l (63 kW) and 1.6 l (77 kW) engines.

Thanks to the new engines, fuel economy has improved by as much as 20%, while torque has increased by around the same level, says Schafer.

The pick of the bunch in terms of fuel economy is the 66 kW engine, which has a claimed fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100 km.

The 66 kW engine is available with the Trendline and Comfortline derivatives.

The 81 kW engine is available with the standard six-speed transmission, but can also be ordered with an optional seven-speed automatic DSG transmission.

The 81 kW engine is available in the Highline derivatives. as well as the CrossPolo.

An electronic stabilisation programme is included in the Polo as standard. Other electronic driver aids include antilock braking system and hill hold assist. 

The Driver Alert System, which is standard in Highline derivatives, detects if the driver’s concentration is waning. Should this be the case, it sounds a warning, assisted by a message in the instrument cluster recommending a break from driving.

Optional features to individualise the Polo include a panoramic sunroof, removable tow bar, climatronic air-conditioning, light and vision package (includes auto-dimming interior mirror, rain sensor wipers and low beam assist), park distance control (front and rear), rear-view camera and cruise control.

Pricing starts at R188 300.

The new Polo comes standard with a 3-year/45 000 km service plan, 3-year/120 000 km warranty and a 12-year anticorrosion warranty.

The service interval is 15 000 km.

And will this new Polo become the new Polo Vivo, once the sixth-generation Polo is launched around two, three years from now?

“Just because we did it once, does not mean we will do it again,” says Gennrich.

The Polo Vivo will soon be refreshed, he adds.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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