VW to field the Polo in WRC 2013

VW Management Board Member, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg has announced that the company plans to compete in the 2013 WRC with the Polo. The announcement was made in front of 200 journalists as the Polo R WRC was unveiled. �Almost exactly two years ago, in May 2009, the most recent model of the Polo was presented here in Sardinia. Today we are proud to show you the hottest Polo of all time � the Polo R WRC� said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen at the occasion.

The WRC Polo will be an AWD vehicle and will be powered by a 1.6 liter TSI engine good for close to 300bhp of power. VW has been winning the Dakar Rally for three consecutive years now and is now training its eyes on WRC, to sport that is globally covered and highly rated.

�The new Technical Regulations of the World Rally Championship are an ideal fit for Volkswagen�s philosophy with respect to the development of production vehicles. Downsizing, high efficiency and reliability are top priorities for our customers. The timing of the WRC debut is optimal for Volkswagen. The big task of engineering a vehicle that is competitive and capable of winning at a large number of challenges holds great appeal for us.� said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Management Board of the Volkswagen Brand, Development Division.

VW has some previous rally heritage to boast of as well. The most important of these was in 1986 when Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V claimed the world champion�s title in the newly incepted Group A.

When the bonnet of the Polo becomes a goat�s throne!

This incredible picture was taken by a close friend and an avid reader of Motoroids � Yatish Suvarna. His friend had bought a spanking new Polo which was the envy of all his colleagues. Unfortunately the lack of parking space (like everywhere else in Mumbai) at his workplace made him park the car on a street which wasn�t too conducive for sheltering automobiles.

Yatish was bamboozled when he saw this goat sitting on top of his friend�s car as he stepped out of the office for a meeting. The bonnet was badly scratched, much to the anguish of his friend. There wasn�t much he could do though � it was just another day in the life of India, as TOI puts it. Not a very pleasing picture for the car�s owner, but makes for a funny portrait for us nevertheless.

Got such a wacky picture? Send it to us, we�ll put it up here. Get mailing!

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Volkswagen reveals CrossPolo, fusion of a car and an SUV

Volkswagen has revealed the details of CrossPolo-a softroader based on the current gen Polo platform. It gets a total of six engine options, and an optional 7-speed DSG too. The CrossPolo looks good and its muscular stance, thanks to the flared wheel arches, roof rails and a pair of good looking alloys is good enough to differentiate it from the hatch. It has a little more ground clearance than its hatchback sibling. A question lingers in my mind-Could this be the third car based on the Polo platform coming to India, after Vento?

Do you remember the time when Fiat had launched Palio Weekend and Adventure? That period wasnt something that could be termed as Fiat India�s golden period. The sales figures were bad and customer satisfaction was even worse. And launching such a product for a market not mature enough then was nothing but a wrong decision. There didnt exist any need for a car, er, estate like that. Then the same happened with Baleno Altura and Opel Corsa Swing and even the Octavia Combi. And the only estate that did good was the Indigo Marina. By �good� here, I mean relatively good.

So if Volkswagen plans to launch one here, the stakes will indeed be high. There are chances the model flops the way Fiat�s did. Or has the Indian market matured enough to accept a product like this?

If it has, then there are chances that CrossPolo does well, goes head to head with the to-be launched smaller variant of Xylo, the 5-seater Xylo, the Uno( if Fiat plans to bring it), Premier Rio and the SX4 hatch(that is if Maruti brings it).

A new segment will be born. A car that can be used as your normal car, can take the shortcut through the forest and carry all the money you robbed from the bank. It surely will prove to be a cool car then, won�t it?

VW Vento sketches revealed (polo sedan)

We earlier brought to you the world exclusive scoop of the Polo Sedan, which Volkswagen believed would have fooled us to think of the car as a Ford. Later our friends at Autocar revealed that VW will launch the Polo Sedan by the name 'Vento'. However, here are a few sketches of the VW Vento that have been leaked:

The Vento will sport a longer wheel base by about 50mm as compared to the Polo hatchback. the extra length will help provide for better leg room as well as head room for the rear.

The Vento is expected to hit the streets by July, 2010.