VW Polo WRC makes the case for the 4WD VW Polo R
Volkswagen Board Member has all but confirmed the quattro VW Polo R will be built and launch in 2013, to coincide with the launch of VW’s Polo WRC program
We speculated a year ago that the Polo GTI wouldn’t be the top of the Polo tree, and that Volkswagon would roll out the VW Polo R in 2012, but perhaps with FWD instead of the 4WD its big brother, the Golf R, enjoys.
But just a few months later it seemed clear that we would end up getting a 4WD Polo R at some point after Audi lost its bottle at the last minute and pulled the Audi S1 badge off a FWD A1, instead calling it the Audi A1 1.4 TFSI.
That change of heart by Audi – saving the S1 badge for a quattro S1 – meant that a quattro platform would be developed for the S1, and as the A1 uses the Polo platform it meant a 4WD platform would be available for the Polo too. Ergo a 4WD Polo R. Or so we pontificated.
But VW were having none of it, proclaiming there was no commercial case for a 4WD Polo R. But it looks like they’ve now seen the sense, particularly in light of the Polo WRC – revealed complete with ‘R’ logos – earlier this month, almost shouting VW’s change of heart in the process.
And now VW’s Ulrich Hackenberg has all but confirmed the quattro Polo R in conversation with Autocar. He’s admitted the WRC Polo makes the Polo R much more likely, and that if it bwere to be built it would launch to coincide with the start of the WRC rally program in 2013.
Which we’ll take as confirmation that the 4wWD VW Polo R will be launched in 2013.
David says
Hang on…..for the Polo WRC to be a legitimate contender in 2013, don’t VW have to sell a certain number of similar spec road cars? Therefore….the Polo R??
CarsUK says
Yes, and no. The WRC car has to be based on a production car BUT it can have a bigger engine (up to 2.0 litres) and the addition of 4WD (and some other bits). So VW don’t have to make a 4WD Polo R to play at rallying. But they will.