JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Volkswagen's acclaimed fifth-generation Polo hatchback went on sale in South Africa this week, with the car built here for both domestic and export markets.
Production of the compact hatchback commenced at VW South Africa's coastal Uitenhage plant in July last year. Since then, nearly 20,000 units have been exported to right-hand-drive markets around the world. This year, a further 55,000 units will be shipped to the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore.
The new Polo has gained several accolades since its international launch in May last year, most notably the 2010 European Car of the Year award where judges hailed it for its comprehensive safety equipment and advanced range of engines.
Initially, South Africa will get only the five-door hatchback body style. It is powered by a choice of 1.4-liter and 1.6-liter gasoline and a 1.6 turbodiesel and comes in Trendline and higher-specced Comfortline trim levels. All three four-cylinder engines are carried over from the previous range, but the turbodiesel is a new common-rail unit claimed to be 15 percent more fuel efficient. All are paired with a five-speed manual transmission. A six-speed Tiptronic will be offered as an option in the 1.6i Comfortline.
The compact car wears VW's new corporate face as first presented in the Scirocco coupe, with a flat grille and headlights that emphasize the car's width and low center of gravity. The launch cars presented to South Africa's journalists this week reveal an improvement in perceived cabin quality, to Golf-like levels. The dashboard is a classy-feeling, soft-touch type, while the center console is now more angled toward the driver.
The Polo has grown in size and offers more passenger room but is 7.5 percent lighter than its predecessor. Greater torsional rigidity has improved the driving dynamics and feeling of solidity. With a maximum five-star EuroNCAP crash rating, the new Polo is ranked as one of the safest cars in its class and comes with front and side airbags and ABS. In South Africa, though, only the top model comes with stability control.
The Polo will be one of two platforms produced at the Uitenhage plant. The second will be the as-yet-unnamed replacement for the just-discontinued Citi Golf budget car. That was the rebranded Mk I Golf, which enjoyed a record-breaking three-decade production life span in South Africa.
VW SA is expected to reveal the identity of the car within the next few weeks.
Inside Line says: Winds of change for VW lovers in South Africa. — Denis Droppa, Correspondent
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