No more power: Polo GTI is hot enough
Don't expect a high performance R version of VW's baby hatchHot hatch fans holding out for an even hotter version of the Volkswagen Polo GTI could be waiting a long time.
The chief engineer for the latest generation Polo, Dr Ernst Lindner, told the Carsales Network there is no immediate plan for an R version of the baby hatchback, even though the company wants to expand the R brand across more models.
"We have studied (a Polo R), we have even built some prototypes, but it is too expensive and not easily possible with the current generation," Dr Lindner said at the European launch of the Polo GTI last week.
He said the latest, fifth generation Polo was not designed to be all-wheel-drive (all other R models are all-wheel-drive). And, therefore, the changes required to adapt an all-wheel-drive system are prohibitively expensive.
"We would have to sell a lot of cars to cover the cost, plus the price would not be so cheap. I think maybe it's better to wait until the next generation."
The fifth generation Polo has only just gone on sale in the past year -- and arrived in Australia this month -- and is not due for replacement until 2015 at the earliest.
The chief engineer in charge of Polo also said there was internal political reasons to not pursue a Polo R.
"Audi has said they want to do an S version of the new A1 and it is company policy to leave some room for Audi," he said.
The new, soon-to-be-released Audi A1 city car shares much of its core structure and underpinnings with the new Polo.
What is not clear, however, is what the Audi S1 will be powered by.
If it is to be all-wheel-drive (as is the case with all other Audi S models) then surely the company runs into the same cost hurdles as an all-wheel-drive Polo R.
But if Audi develops an all-wheel-drive system for the S1, then surely Volkswagen could use it on a Polo R.
However, even that may not be the answer.
One alternative suggested was that the Audi S1 may remain front-drive only but gain a more powerful version of the Polo GTI's turbocharged and supercharged 1.4-litre engine.
Audi would not comment on the speculation.
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