In this first video of the Polo GTI we see it take on a snowy landscape and show off its sports driving capabilities. It looks to be every bit as GTI as the Golf, with a 1.4-litre TSI engine with 180 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It has a seven-speed DSG gearbox, top speed of 228 km/hr and can do 0-100 km/hr in just 6.9 seconds. The Polo GTI in the video has the classic white tint and the same roof opening feature as the Volkswagen Scirocco.

Continue reading: Volkswagen Polo GTI on the snow

The new Volkswagen Polo GTI and Volkwagen CrossPolo will be presented at the 2010 Geneva motor show, marking the further development of the new Polo range. The Polo GTI is the sports model and the CrossPolo has been designed as an all-terrain vehicle with front wheel drive.

The Polo GTI is equipped with the 1.4-litre TSI engine with 180 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It has a seven-speed DSG gearbox and XDS electronic differential. The Polo GTI is available in both three-foor and five-door versions and has a top speed of 229 km/hr, reaching 100 km/hr in 6.9 seconds. It’s a model that can only build on the success of the standard Polo version, providing a sporty alternative to the conservative compact car.

In contrast to the Polo GTI, the CrossPolo has a heightened wheelbase of 15 mm to the standard version, and will only be available in a five-door version with six engine options. In the fuel range we see the 1.2-litre with 70 hp, the 1.4 with 85 hp and the 1.2 TSI with 105 hp. Among the diesel options is the 1.6-litre TDI available in three power steps of 75, 90 and 105 hp.

Continue reading: Geneva preview: Volkswagen Polo GTI and CrossPolo

As you may well imagine, Volkswagen did very nicely in the European market for 2009, as did Opel and Ford (and there’s no prizes for guessing for which models). There are a couple of surprises though, with Fiat doing very well, but not with the Fiat 500, which makes a nice change, and Peugeot and Renault put in appearances as well. Check out Europe’s top ten cars for 2009 after the jump.

Continue reading: Europe's top ten cars for 2009

Some car trivia for the weekend was required as we get down to the business of Christmas cheer, and in this gallery we take a look at all the Car of the Year models from 1964 to today. This year, the humble Volkswagen Polo took out the title, marking the 47th since the award was incepted. The Car of the Year award is judged by seven European car magazine titles: Autocar in the UK, Stern in Germany, Vi Bilägare in Sweden, Autovisie in the Netherlands, L’Automobile Magazine in France, Auto in Italy, and Autopista in Spain.

The first Car of the Year back in 1964 was the Rover 2000, and things have come a long way since then. The Car of the Year must be a new vehicle that is available to at least five European markets in the year in question. Criteria such as design, comfort, performance, safety, practicality, ecology and economy, price and overall driveability are considered.

Perhaps surprisingly, the brand that has received the most awards in the history of the Car of the Year is Fiat, with a total of nine models, and that’s not including other Fiat Group brands such as Alfa Romeo or Lancia. Following Fiat, the company with the most success has been Renault, winning six times. The Volkswagen Polo for 2010 marks only the second time that Volkswagen has won the prize. After the jump is the full list of Car of the Year models from 1964 to 2010.

Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

Continue reading: Pics: Car of the Year 1964 to 2010

The Auto Trophy 2009 awards have been given by Auto Zeitung after reader surveys of about 105,000 participants. Obviously the local German cars were very successful, with Audi taking home a total of 40 percent of votes across all categories, but there have been a couple of surprises, too.

A special mention goes to the Opel Astra for its quality-price ratio, while the new BMW 1 Series won the best advertising campaign award. Across the categories, readers voted on 370 different models in total. In the small car category, the Volkswagen Polo won with 32.9 percent, while for imported small cars the Fiat 500 won with 20.6 percent. Among the mid-size range was the Volkswagen Golf 6, and for imported cars in this category, the Skoda Octavia won a divided contest, with 18.5 percent of votes.

The mid-size, top range cars featured some of the larger German models, with the Audi A5 Sportback winning with 27.2 percent of votes, and the Volvo V70 winning in the imported category. The luxury category was dominated by the Mercedes E-Class with 42.7 percent of votes, while the Jaguar XF took the title for imported vehicles. Among the flagship models, the Porsche Panamera won and the Aston Martin Rapide won in the imported category with 33.7 percent.

Continue reading: Auto Zeitung Auto Trophy: SLS AMG top supercar

The Car of the Year prizes have been dominated by the Germans with many being awarded one of Autobild’s “Golden Steering Wheel” awards. The Porsche Panamera won the luxury car category, beating the BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S Class, while the medium to large sedan category was won by the Audi A5 Sportback, followed by the BMW 5-Series GT and the Mercedes E Class.

Among the compact class, a nice win for the new Opel Astra, beating the Skoda Yeti, which came in second ahead of the Renault Megane. In its sector, the Renault Scenic emerged ahead of the Toyota Verso and Peugeot 5008, and among the small cars the Volkswagen Polo won over the Citroen C3 and Hyundai i20. The Toyota Prius took out the ecological prize, followed by the Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion and the Mercedes S400 Hybrid.

The supercar category was dominated by the new Mercedes SLS AMG Gullwing, followed by the Audi R8 Spider and the Aston Martin One-77. The finalists for overall COTY are the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Opel Astra, Peugeot 3008, Skoda Yeti, Toyota iQ and Volkswagen Polo. Take your bets now…

Continue reading: Golden Steering wheel car of the year prizes: SLS AMG supercar of the year

After the release of the Volkswagen Golf R and Scirocco R, we should also see a Volkswagen Polo R appear on the market. According to reports from AutoInternationaal, the Polo R will turn up in 2011-2012 with a turbo charged 1.4-litre TSI with 190 hp.

In additional specs, it could have a top speed of 230 km/hr and average fuel consumption of 6.5-litres per 100 km. The price is expected to be about 26,800 euros. With this performance and attractive price, it should be a competitor to vehicles such as the Seat Ibiza Cupra (with 180 hp), while completing the Volkswagen R range. Note: Volkswagen Scirocco R in the gallery.

Continue reading: Volkswagen Polo R to appear

These spy shots show the future Volkswagen Polo sedan, which should debut at the New Delhi motor show in January 2010. As the debut would suggest, the Polo sedan is destined for the emerging markets of India and Brasil, and no plans have been revealed thus far to introduce the model to Europe as well. The Polo sedan should be very similar in style to the original hatch, with the only obvious difference being in the rear area to create the sedan model.

Volkswagen Polo sedan spy shots

Source | SecretNewCars

Continue reading: Volkswagen four-door Polo spy shots

In a “Back to the future” meets “Grease” commercial, Volkswagen releases this commercial of its new Polo. It’s not particularly original but is cute, and we love the recreation of the 50’s and 60’s look. We’re more curious to see though, what the advertising guys come up with for the new Polo R. See all the Volkswagen Polo pics in the gallery below.

Continue reading: Volkswagen Polo commercial and new gallery

After the debut of the Golf R at Frankfurt, the Volkswagen Polo range will soon expand to include the GTI, GTD and R versions. The Polo GTI will be the first to debut with a 1.4-litre TSI engine at 170 hp. It’s the same unit as that of the Seat Ibiza Cupra, although it won’t be as powerful.

The Polo R will appear on the market later and will also be equipped with the 1.4 TSI but with a powerstep to 190 hp. A Seat Ibiza twin version should also be produced, called the Cupra R, with 10 hp more.

Finally according to Autocar, a Polo GTD could be in the works, providing the sporty looks and performance of a GTI, but with the lower fuel consumption and emissions of a diesel model. At the moment it’s purely hypothetical as the success of the 1.6-litre TDI will be used as a benchmark for any future Polo GTD.

Source | Autocar and Es.autoblog

Continue reading: Volkswagen Polo GTI, GTD and Polo R: Seat Cupra R to follow

The Volkswagen Golf R pics from Frankfurt show its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show alongside other VW models such as the three-door Polo, L1 and E-Up! concepts and the Bluemotion line with the Polo, Golf and Passat.

The new Golf R is equipped with the 2.0-litre TFSI with 270 hp and all-wheel drive, making it a serious sports hatch competitor to the Audi S3 and anything else that gets in its way. This is one zippy little number with 350 Nm, that takes the R32 as its ancestor. It has an average consumption of 8.5 litres per 100 km, which is a good two litres less than the old V6 of the R32. Top speed is 250 km/hr and it reaches 100 km/hr in 5.7 seconds, or 5.5 with the DSG transmission.

The Scirocco R was also at the Volkswagen Frankfurt stand after its official presentation at the Nurburgring 24 hours. It has rear wheel drive with XDS electronic differential and is equipped with the 2.0-litre TFSI at 265 hp and 350 Nm of torque.

Continue reading: Volkswagen Golf R pics from Frankfurt motor show

Volkswagen has released these preview pics of the three-door Polo before its Frankfurt Motor Show debut. The three-door version is based on the standard five-door hatch, but is aimed at giving a sports option to customers.

Six engine options will be available, including three petrol and three diesel units with a range from 60 to 105 hp. Transmission will be either a manual or a seven-speed, dual-clutch DSG shift. The three-door Polo will also be available in eco-efficient BlueMotion diesel.

Three differing versions of Trendline, Comfortline and Highline will be available, with the Trendline being the most economical at 12,150 euros. The Comfortline comes in a 14,150 euros, and the Highline will cost 15,900 euros with extras such as fog lights, leather steering wheel and multifunction display. The car should be available in Europe by the end of the year.

Continue reading: Three-door Volkswagen Polo preview before Frankfurt show