The Volkswagen Polo has set a sales benchmark for the German automaker, with well over 12 million cars sold so far. Since the supermini is proving so popular in India and other Emerging markets, sales have a good chance of topping a million a year.
When it was launched in 2009, the mark V Polo was so new that engineers had to use computers to imagine how would handle the then-brand-new Euro NCAP side impact tests.
The Polo shares its platform with the SEAT Ibiza, Audi A1 and Skoda Fabia. even though the PQ25 architecture dates back to 2008, it's still so modern that it was chosen for the Skoda Rapid and SEAT Toledo.
New content has constantly been added to the Polo, but it never got a complete makeover, mainly because it didn't need one, but also because VW doesn't do facelifts much these days.
Thus, we expect a brand new Polo will have to be launched in 2015, two years from now. It will use the new MQB platform, same as the Golf, which will make it about 7% lighter than the current model. Rivals like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 have shed a lot of weight.
As for the engines, a new MQB family of units will be introduced, offering much the same displacement but more refinement and economy. We expect a clear focus to now be placed on smaller units, like the 1-liter engine from the Up! or the 1.2-liter diesel.
As for the looks, the Polo has always been known as the little Golf, and the Mark VI should be no exception. It will be inspired by the 2013 Golf model with angular lines evolved from the current model. It could also be a bit bigger and offer more interior space as well. Hopefully, VW fill finally realize there's a market for these cars in America as well.
The Polo shares its platform with the SEAT Ibiza, Audi A1 and Skoda Fabia. even though the PQ25 architecture dates back to 2008, it's still so modern that it was chosen for the Skoda Rapid and SEAT Toledo.
New content has constantly been added to the Polo, but it never got a complete makeover, mainly because it didn't need one, but also because VW doesn't do facelifts much these days.
Thus, we expect a brand new Polo will have to be launched in 2015, two years from now. It will use the new MQB platform, same as the Golf, which will make it about 7% lighter than the current model. Rivals like the Renault Clio and Peugeot 208 have shed a lot of weight.
As for the engines, a new MQB family of units will be introduced, offering much the same displacement but more refinement and economy. We expect a clear focus to now be placed on smaller units, like the 1-liter engine from the Up! or the 1.2-liter diesel.
As for the looks, the Polo has always been known as the little Golf, and the Mark VI should be no exception. It will be inspired by the 2013 Golf model with angular lines evolved from the current model. It could also be a bit bigger and offer more interior space as well. Hopefully, VW fill finally realize there's a market for these cars in America as well.