The Volkswagen Polo is a car produced by the German manufacturer Volkswagen since 1975. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, sedan and estate variants. The Polo has been produced in six generations. Related Volkswagen Group models include the Škoda Fabia, SEAT Ibiza and Audi A1.
The Volkswagen Polo won the 2010 World Car of the Year.
As of 2018, there have been six separate generations of the Polo, usually identified by a "Series" or "Mark" number.
Some generations were facelifted midway through production, with the updated versions known unofficially by an addition of the letter F to the mark number, e.g. Mk2F. Some press and enthusiasts consider the facelifts to be separate models and hence have used the unofficial designations Polo Mk1 to Mk7 for previous generations. Each model of Polo is also identified by a two or three character Volkswagen Group Typ number. Official VW Polo history describes Mark I to Mark IV using either Roman numerals or Arabic numerals, with facelifted variants known as "Phase II" models.
The body style has been varied through the life of the car, originally as a hatchback which derived from the Audi 50. A sedan version was marketed as the Volkswagen Derby.
Volkswagen vehicles built off different platforms have carried the Polo nameplate. For example, the Volkswagen Polo Playa hatchback sold in Southern Africa in the late 1990s was a rebadged SEAT Ibiza which has a different body shell from the Polo Mk3 sold in Europe at the same time. The current saloon is only available in China, Latin America and South Africa and other Southern Africa countries.
Starting in 1982, Volkswagen sold the Polo in Japan initially through an agreement with Japanese dealership Yanase that specializes in European and North American vehicles. Of all Volkswagens imported into Japan, only the Polo and the Golf, until 1997, complied with Japanese Government dimension regulations until the introduction of the VW Up! in 2012.
Volkswagen helped consolidate the preeminence of the so-called hot hatch genre of high-performance hatchbacks with their Golf GTI in 1975, and has produced a number of performance versions of the Polo. The first of these was the Polo GT version of the Polo Mk1F.
The Polo Mk2 and Mk2F were available as supercharged G40 models. The GT G40 with its 1.3-litre 85 kW (114 hp) could reach 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.1 seconds from standstill and had a maximum speed of 196 km/h (122 mph). It was used by Volkswagen to set a number of world endurance speed records, such as the 1.3-litre class records for speed over 24 hours and speed over a distance of 5,000 km (3,100 mi).
The fastest version of the Polo Mk3 on the United Kingdom market was the 1.6-litre 16-valve 92 kW (123 hp) model. A 88 kW (118 hp) Polo GTI model was also produced, but only in a limited edition in Germany, and this was the first time the GTI label had been used for a Polo. A GTI version of the Polo Mk3F, with a 92 kW (123 hp) 1.6-litre petrol engine was also produced.
In 2004 Volkswagen Individual, a specialist division of Volkswagen, produced a limited number of (Polo Mk4) Club Sports with a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine producing 132 kW (177 hp). Available only in Germany, this was based on the one make racing series Polo Cup Racer hatchback. The Club Sport came with a roll cage inside the vehicle and Recaro racing seats as standard.
A GTI version of the Polo Mk4F was launched in 2006. This features styling similar to that of the contemporary Golf GTI and a turbocharged 20-valve 110 kW (150 hp) 1.8-litre petrol engine. It has a 0–100 km/h time of 8.2 seconds and a top speed of 216 km/h (134 mph).
Volkswagen Individual have also engineered an even faster Polo called the Polo GTI Cup Edition. Available with the same 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, albeit with 130 kW (180 hp), its claimed 0–100 km/h is 7.5 seconds and it has a claimed top speed of 225 km/h (140 mph).
Volkswagen Racing in South Africa rallied a four wheel drive Polo Mk4F which shared some components with its sister World Rally Championship (WRC) Škoda Fabia; the S2000 has a 2.0-Litre 191 kW (256 hp) engine.
Mk4 Polos have been entered into the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC).
The Polo also competed in the Russian Touring Car Championship.
There have been a number of one make race series for the Polo, starting with the G40 Cup for Polo Mk2 and Mk2F G40 versions. The current Polo Cup championship for 78 kW (105 hp) cars is a support race at rounds of the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.
Sébastien Ogier won the FIA World Rally Championship for Drivers in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 driving a Volkswagen Polo R WRC.
The first Polo was effectively a rebadged version of the Audi 50 hatchback launched in August 1974.
The Audi 50 was discontinued in 1978 as Audi concentrated on larger luxury models. The Mk1 and Mk2 versions of the Polo were then standalone models in the Volkswagen range.
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