VW hatches three-door Polo

Volkswagen's volume-selling light car, the Polo, will be unveiled in a brand-new entry-level three-door guise at the '09 Frankfurt motor show in Germany.

The Polo is still yet to be released in Australia and this three-door model is likely to be offered before the five-door early in 2010. See our international launch for hands-on impressions of the new model.

Volkswagen expects the car will be on sale in Europe from October 2009, where it will compete with cars such as the Ford Fiesta.

The new fifth-generation Polo model has already been awarded a five star Euro NCAP crashworthiness rating, which VW claims makes it the "safest compact car in the world".

Visually the three-door Polo carries over much of the five-door's styling which was overseen by VW's chief  of design, Walter de Silva, with the same front and rear end designs. The major difference can be seen on the cars flanks, with the larger front doors and subtle change to the rear side windows, featuring a slightly sharper upward kick. This gives the car a slightly sportier look than its more pragmatic five-door sibling.

With short front and rear overhangs, the three-door Polo has a dynamic look. Walter de Silva describes the new Polo as a 'bella automobile' due to its "perfect proportions".

The dimensions of the new entry-level three-door Polo are the same as the five-door model, with a length of 3970mm, width of 1682mm and height of 1485mm. As such, interior space is also identical, including boot space of 280 litres.

Petrol and diesel engines will be offered with the European-specification models but the Australian line-up has not yet been announced. ESP will be standard on all models however, highlighting the vehicle's five-star safety credentials.

Six engines are offered in Europe, starting with a 1.2-litre petrol mill outputting 44kW and rising to a turbocharged TSI petrol engine that develops 77kW and will be offered with a seven-speed DSG.

There will also be a range of diesel engines outputting between 55 and 77kW, including what is claimed to be the world's most fuel-efficient light car, the 1.2-litre Polo BlueMotion.

This compact diesel engine has an overall fuel consumption figure of 3.3L/100km -- better than the Toyota Prius hybrid. Volkswagen says it emits 87 grams of CO2 per kilometre, which would also be a class leading rating.

Read the latest Carsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at www.carsales.mobi