Just-unveiled updated Polo a ‘maybe’ for NZ

Distributor weighing up further need for more Golf-like model given strong sales preference for its like-sized and priced crossovers.

CONSUMER swing toward two strong-selling Volkswagen crossovers will weigh on unreconciled decision-making about whether the heavily revised Polo small hatch revealed in Europe today finds its way to New Zealand.

This today from the distributor, with a spokesman for Volkswagen New Zealand commenting: “We are still in discussions with the factory over the Polo facelift for New Zealand for 2022. 

“The current Polo will continue to be sold well into next year.

“Polo is an important vehicle for us, but we are seeing customer demand moving from the hatches into sports utilities such as T-Cross and T-Roc.”

T-Cross is based on the same MBQA platform as the new Polo whereas T-Roc is the next size up and drawn off a Golf underpinning. The two models together account for a substantial chunk of VW NZ registrations, far more than are achieved by Polo, which in present form releases in 1.0-litre base, R-Line and 2.0-litre GTI formats.

The facelift is a massive refresh, basically turning this sixth-generation car into a pint-sized replica of the new Golf, with a swath of technologies first seen in the larger hatch transferring across. In addition, as the images, it achieves a styling update that also cements association with the big brother.

The front end achieves a fresh front bumper and headlight arrangement incorporating a new LED lighting bar that runs from the new-look headlights (available with IQ. Light matrix LED technology for the first time) to the VW badge. 

At the rear, the Polo receives new badging, the LED tail-light clusters have a Golf 8-inspired shape and can be had with dynamic indicators - the ‘wiping’ effect previously only found on more expensive VW Group cars.

The R-Line continues a sporty-looking but standard performance alternate to the genuine GTI and the Style and Life designations given the Golf now apply on Polo as well.

The interior refit is major.  A digital instrument panel is standard, either eight inches or 10.25 inches in the Digital Cockpit Pro version, there’s a new multifunction steering wheel and the central display is also much like that in the Golf, with knobs and buttons replaced with a touch-sensitive panel, albeit only in models with automatic climate control. It achieves two USB-C ports, while a wireless smartphone charging bay is an option. 

In respect to infotainment systems, the base car has a 6.5-inch display while more expensive versions adopt either a 8.0-inch touchscreen system or the highest-level 9.2-inch display. These come with Volkswagen’s We Connect connectivity , designed to deliver real-time traffic info and live music streaming in markets where those services are provisioned (so, not yet NZ). Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also include.

Semi-autonomous driving assistance comes to the Polo for the first time, with the adoption of the Travel Assist function available in the latest Golf and Passat. It can take over the accelerating, braking and steering of the Polo, from standstill in automatic models all the way to the vehicle’s top speed. It’s a combination of lane-keep assistance and the new predictive adaptive cruise control set-up, though the driver must keep their hands on the wheel at all times. 

The United Kingdom is the only right-hand-drive market cited as certainty for the car at the moment. Engine provision there will consist entirely of 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrols for every mainstream variant; from a naturally-aspirated 59kW /93Nm option married to a five-speed manual gearbox then a pair of turbocharged TSI variants, one developing 70kW and the other making 80kW. If VW NZ does decide to continue with Polo, then the latter will likely be its preference, as it alone matches purely to a direct shift transmission, the only gearbox choice availed here. It’s still a seven speed.

The GTI is also to be continued, but VW won’t show off the new one until 2022. Belief is that it will continue with the current car’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. However, whether it continues to develop 147kW remains to be seen. Industry observers have noted that Volkswagen has had to decrease the power of some of its hot hatchbacks in the past, to comply with more stringent WLTP CO2 homologation.

VW reiterates ID.6 'just for China'

 VW’s third MEB model has been revealed in two formats.

 AN electric Volkswagen ID model intended just for China, at this stage, has been revealed.

The seven seat, sports utility-styled ID.6 is built on the MEB electric platform that underpins the ID.4 sports utility that is coming on sale in New Zealand, potentially not before late 2022, and the ID.3 sedan that seems less likely as a distributor-provisioned NZ-new car, though it is here as a grey import.

Essentially a long-wheelbase ID.4, the ID.6 will be built as a 'Crozz' model in North China and as an 'X' in the south of the country. For it to be availed in NZ would require major re-engineering as China is a left-hand drive country.

It is powered by a variety of electric motors and battery packs, with the usable capacity of the latter ranging from 58- to 77kWh; meaning any ID.6 will be able to do between 436 and 588km on a single charge.

With a maximum output of 225kW going through all wheels and 4Motion technology, the model can do 0-100kmh in 6.6 seconds and 160kmh flat out.

ID.6 is 300mm longer than the ID.4, to accommodate a third row of seats to the rear of the passenger compartment. Wheel sizes go from 19 to 21 inches in diameter, while a panoramic roof is standard; as an option, it can also open up to the elements. Inside, there are no buttons and switches, the 12-inch touchscreen display and 'Hello ID' voice commands controlling much of the car's functionality.

Ralf Brandstätter, Volkswagen's chief executive, says ID.6 lays the foundations for at least 50 percent of his brand’s car sold in China being electric by 2030.

“We are maintaining momentum and gradually increasing our range of MEB cars: by 2023, Volkswagen will have a total of eight ID. models in China, making MEB nationwide there.

“The economies of scale that we have achieved allow us to offer the latest technology at an affordable price - and thus further expand our electric offensive."

Good time at a tough time

The March new car registrations boom took Volkswagen to a new high.

Golf 8 was a big contributor to VW’s unsurpassed count in March.

CALL it a fossil-fuelled frenzy: Volkswagen’s new-generation electric product not yet availing here definitely hasn’t kept this make from being a people’s favourite here.

No more so than last month.

The brand’s national distributor is celebrating March a being a landmark moment; its best-ever sales month for passenger products.

True, March was a huge month for new vehicle distributors in general. As reported yesterday, it delivered the highest registrations tally ever recorded for the third month of the year.

Also, the count of 528 units being registered for that period is hardly the biggest brand take for the month – Toyota basically sold twice as many Hilux utes alone in March.

Yet it’s a big deal for a European brand and pretty decent for VW, given it’s running on empty just now in respect to having the in-vogue feature of an electric-assisted drivetrain in any product. That’s coming, but in hybrid formats. None of the wholly battery ID product making headlines overseas wholly is here until 2023. That might irk outright EV fans but, clearly, there are plenty of car buyers happy to go with the mainly petrol-dedicated status quo.

A volume representing a 5.5 percent market share is, according to a spokesman, very likely the biggest sales month ever in the history of Volkswagen in New Zealand – that’s not just in the ‘modern’ period of management under the current rights holder, European Motor Distributors, but also when it was selling the eponymous Beetle under a different arrangement. 

The marque’s previous highest result was 473 units, from January of 2017, when the Tiguan R-Line was launched.

Tiguan was also a major contributor to last month’s count, with the car having released in a mid-life facelift format during that period. VW New Zealand also credits the all-new Golf 8 that arrived into dealerships at the same time as having also made an immediate important impact. 

Greg Leet, Volkswagen NZ general manager of passenger vehicles, says both these flagship models exceeded expectations, achieving more than 150 percent of their usual monthly sales averages.

“Throughout March, Golf 8 recorded 161 percent of its recent monthly sales volume average and the Tiguan Facelift achieved 145 percent of its recent monthly sales volume average as well.” 

Leet says even taking into account that Golf 8 “represents the greatest leap forward since the iconic model launched more than 45 years ago”, and Tiguan being Volkswagen’s most popular selling car worldwide, these are still exceptional results.

Can the good times keep rolling? Hmm, that’s a hard one. Reduced production counts, delays in shipping and the worldwide shortage of computer semiconductors seem to giving most car distributors a headache at the moment.

VW Group has fessed up to being affected by that, particularly with its groundbreaking ID cars that will ultimately divorce the brand from fossil fuel reliance. That news might perhaps seem ironic to NZ electric fans aggrieved that the IDs are still several years from local introduction.

Nonetheless Leet says his operation will “continue to do all we can to replicate these sales targets in coming months.”

He also points out that, while pure electrics are out, VW will be provision performance R models this year - Golf R, Tiguan R and Touareg R, the latter of which runs a plug-in electric drivetrain.

“The Touareg R will very much be the performance brand-shaper, and we’re excited to demonstrate this highly anticipated performance model when it arrives as a PHEV.”

Leet says VW remains committed to sustainability and its future electric vehicle roadmap is paving the ‘way to zero-emission’ mobility for everyone. Globally by 2025, at least 1.5 million electric Volkswagen cars are to be sold.

R assault ticks Tiguan over Golf wagon

The quickest and most powerful production Golf in the model's history will arrive at year-end in hatch form … but don’t hold out for the wagon. Or Drift mode.

 FAST wagon fans need quell their enthusiasm for the load-all variant of the Golf R that seems set to join the traditional hatch later this year.

While the next-gen five-door hatch – the most powerful in the type’s lineage - is definitely a starter for New Zealand, the wagon will not be, Volkswagen New Zealand has decided. 

Some of the local market R strategy was revealed at the recent national media event for the mainstream Golf 8.

In addition to confirming intent to have the R hatch here in December, the national distributor has confirmed the car coming here won’t achieve the ultimate pep package conceived for Europe – the R Performance set-up whose features include drift mode and a higher top speed that removes the 250kmh  limiter. 

The wagon is also off-limits.

VW NZ staff acknowledged that there will doubtless be some revheads here keen to sample the wagon derivative that, in VW-speak, is traditionally known as the Variant. 

However, assuming the edition will be made in right-hand-drive and that it might be okayed for delivery to our market, the general feeling is that there just will not be enough fans to make it worthwhile.

They say previous attempts with the Golf in that format, including one that had significant stonk, never really paid off.

Also tempering their thought is that they have this time signed off on another like-sized and same-powered beast able to cope with the same burdens as the trad wagon.

The Tiguan R, which is also going to be here late year and is the first of is type, will be every bit as pugnacious. It packs the same turbocharged 2.0-litre engine in identical 235kW and 420Nm tune as the Golfs and also sends that kapow to all four wheels, via a dual clutch gearbox. It’ll probably be even more practical than the Golf wagon, and it has an off-roading element absent from the wagon.

The Golf R wagon has become a subject of interest because it has recently been spotted testing in essentially undiguised form. 

In terms of the styling, there are very few changes from the R hatchback, which differentiates from GTI and ‘base’ Golf Mk8 models by taking a restyled front bumper, larger side skirts, a more aggressive rear diffuser, quad exhaust tips, a larger rear spoiler, a blue-accented LED light strip across the front fascia and a slew of R badges.

The interior is expected to follow the hatch formula, so there would be R-badged, nappa leather-trimmed sports seats, a flat-bottomed steering wheel (with an ‘R’ button for easy access to Race mode), metallic pedals, paddle shifters for the DSG and blue contrast stitching throughout the cabin.

The 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and available 10-inch infotainment touchscreen mirror that of the wider Golf range, aside from a selection of R-specific displays for the instruments.

It’s expected the R wagon will sit 15mm lower than the standard Volkswagen Golf wagon – the hatch hunkers down 20mm lower than the regular hatch - and will feature the hatch’s adaptive dampers (VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control) and a louder Akrapovic exhaust system.

The Golf R in both formats and the Tiguan R all benefit from a common new-generation, Haldex-type all-wheel-drive system featuring R Performance Torque Vectoring that allows up to 100 per cent of the engine’s torque to be distributed between the front and rear axles, or between each individual rear wheel, in milliseconds.

Volkswagen claims a 0-100kmh sprint time of 4.7 seconds for the hatch. The Tiguan and wagon are set to be a bit slower, as result of being heavier products.

The R versions benefit from the same ‘Vehicle Dynamics Manager’ system as the lesser GTI, which controls the ‘XDS’ electronically-controlled front locking differential, ‘DCC’ adaptive dampers, all-wheel-drive system and other electronics systems in tandem to sharpen driving dynamics.

Had NZ taken the Performance pack, the car would come with a top speed of 270kmh, larger wheels and a larger rear spoiler, plus two extra and new drive modes additional to the regular car’s Comfort, Sport, Individual and Race modes.  

One is ‘Drift’ and the other is ‘Special’, which softens the adaptive dampers to cater for the undulating surface of the Nurburgring Nordschleife – enabling the Mk8 Golf R to shave 19 seconds off its predecessor’s lap time around the demanding circuit, to a time of 7 minutes 51 seconds.

The photos of the R hatch skidding up were released last week by Germany to showcase showcase that trick new all-wheel-drive, the rear differential … and that 'Drift' mode.

Under the skin, the new Golf R sits 20mm lower to the ground than standard Golf models, thanks to retuned suspension with 10 percent stiffer springs, revised control arms and wheel mounts, increased negative front camber, and unique anti-roll bars.

Filling the arches are 18-inch alloy wheels, 19-inch units wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 performance rubber likely to be an option. Hiding behind the alloys is a set of larger performance brakes, measuring 358mm up front and clamped by two-piston aluminium callipers.

Sixty percent lighter brakes shave 1.2kg of unsprung mass off the car’s kerb weight, complemented by a further 3kg loss thanks to a lighter aluminium subframe.

NZ is said to support a healthy count of Golf Rs, starting with the first of the breed, the VR6-powered Mk4 Golf R32 of 2003.