New VW Polo Has Finally Arrived! » MotorOctane

The legacy that the Volkswagen Polo has built in India will remain for centuries to come. It turned a whole generation, if not the whole country, into car enthusiasts. It was difficult to find something more enthralling for less than Rs 10 lakh. And, as expected, its departure left many petrolheads gloomy. But what if we told you it could be back? 
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Volkswagen Polo Revealed!

The Volkswagen Polo pioneered an entire new segment – a premium hatchback, and the demand for the segment remains high, as we can see with the Baleno. The same applies to global markets, where the Polo remains popular. In fact, in African markets, the old-gen Polo is still the best-selling car by a long margin. Volkswagen realise its popularity and plans to bring a new-gen Polo to the world. But there is a twist.

The next-gen Polo is set to debut globally in May, but leaked images give us a complete look at its design. Moreover, Volkswagen have already revealed key details about its powertrain, and it may shock you. The next-gen Polo will be a BEV. The punchy TSI engine is gone, replaced by some electric whirrs. 

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Looks

As far as looks are concerned, it looks pretty much like a Polo. The design language is elegant, with a hint of sportiness thanks to the aggressive creases and alloy wheels. Polo purists would argue that it looks too futuristic for their liking, but Volkswagen have done a decent job in keeping the essence of the old Polo alive, despite it going electric. It is a breath of fresh air in the SUV-dominated industry. 

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VW Polo Revealed – Features

While the exterior may resemble the Polo, the interior is a revelation. But VW haven’t gone over the top yet either as you can see a plethora of physical buttons on the steering wheel and on the dashboard. Some of the features you get with the new Polo are – 

• 13-inch infotainment screen
• Front parking sensors
• 360-degree camera 
• 10.25-inch digital driver’s display.
• An ADAS suite

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Powertrain

This is where it matters, the powertrain. The engine is the reason why Indians adore it, but can Volkswagen keep the flame alight with the EV? The powertrain options include a 37-kWh (113-133 bhp) LFP battery and a 56-kWh (207 bhp) NMC battery. The claimed range for the smaller pack is around 322km, while the larger battery pack can go up to 451km on a single charge. Both packs can be charged from 10% to 80% in less than 30 min using a fast charger. 

Being the Polo, it obviously gets a GTI version which uses the 56kWh pack, but gets a power boost of up to 19bhp over the standard version. 

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VW Polo Revealed – Expected Launch & Pricing

One thing we can say for sure is that we won’t be seeing it this year. The German automaker has revealed plans to unveil 5 models this year, but the Polo won’t be one of them. The only hatchback that Volkswagen are expected to launch this year is the second batch of Golf GTI. However, there had been rumours that Volkswagen would bring back the Polo nameplate as a sub-4m SUV. It was expected to be based on the Tera that is sold in South American markets. Bringing back iconic names seems to have worked for Tata and Renault, and Volkswagen may follow suit with the Polo. After all, the Polo is as popular as it gets. 

If it is brought as a CKD unit, we can expect it to be priced appropriately at around Rs 14-22 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). But like with some of its other models, Volkswagen may bring it back as a CBU in limited batches. And with the FTA deal in place, its price won’t be egregious either, as we expect a price tag of around Rs 25-30 lakh. 

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