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VW will sell sedan and hatch versions of Polo compact in U.S.

 
16 6,471 views March 16, 2009

2010 volkswagen polo 3 door preview rendering 002

Two new engine ranges - forced-induction petrol engine and turbodiesel - join the Polo line for the new model year

Two new engine ranges - forced-induction petrol engine and turbodiesel - join the Polo line for the new model year

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The small-car surge in the U.S. was cut short last year when once-high fuel prices dropped as suddenly as they'd risen, but the future of the market seems clear: prices will rise again, and small cars will be the best solution. To that end, Volkswagen is planning to bring its 2010 Polo compact car to the U.S. but the story is not so simple.

The Polo sold in the U.S. will be different to the one unveiled earlier this month at the Geneva Motor Show. Firstly, a new sedan model will be offered, while the regular hatch will also grow in size to suit American tastes. The size difference is due to greater height and a longer wheelbase than other versions of the Polo, said VW’s American boss Stefan Jacoby during a recent interview with Automotive News. It will be a "cross between a compact minivan and a hatchback," Jacoby explained, something like the Honda Fit.

Pricing is expected to be around the $14,000 and to maximise profits the American versions will be produced in Mexico. While an actual launch date hasn’t been pencilled in, production will most likely start in 2011.

VW's current smallest car in the U.S. is the Rabbit (Golf to the rest of the world), which sits around the middle of the carmaker’s global range. The smaller Polo could offer even smaller and more efficient engines, which could also help bring a new premium entry to the small car market while at the same time help VW meet tougher CAFE standards.
2010 Volkswagen Polo 3-door renderings

2010 Volkswagen Polo Hatchback


HI-RES GALLERY: 2010 volkswagen polo 3 door preview rendering 002




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Comments (16)

  1. By Renton Posted: 7/18/2008 8:37am PDT

    Considering? Well, they have made nothing but terrible marketing moves in the last 20 years, I do not expect VAG to do the right thing here either.

    Of course it should be sold here.

    'tards.
     
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  2. By cirquo Posted: 7/18/2008 12:05pm PDT

    Bring it here, it will compete with Honda Fit, Mazda 2, Hyundai, Toyat and so on. VW HAS to bring the POLO to the U.S. if it is to compete.
     
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  3. By Tom Mills Posted: 7/19/2008 12:24pm PDT

    With the current exchange rates, it may be difficult to price this model competitively in the USA. Perhaps they can built it in Mexico... You also have to wonder if VW needs a more conventional low-end sedan rather than another hatch to balance out the Rabbit/Golf and Bug.
     
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  4. By Dane Posted: 7/19/2008 7:39pm PDT

    Thought it was a done deal.... Better wake up VW... Ford is beating you at your own game.....
     
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  5. ma_rsteck avatar rsteck Posted: 3/16/2009 6:13am PDT

    I really like the look and style of the new Polo, changing it to look like a Fit is a huge mistake. As if all Americans are huge cows that need a bigger car than Europeans. I hope this flops.
     
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  6. ma_ken83gti avatar ken83gti Posted: 3/16/2009 10:33am PDT

    WHAT ARE THEY THINKING?
    Of course the Polo should be sold here. I've een waiting for the 2 door to come here for a too long. Now they have just spent all the money to introduce a great new Polo that looks really good & many people really want to buy (a smaller fun car that costs less, weighs around 2,300-2,400 lbs., gets great fuel milage, handles well & looks sporty & fun), but now they sound like they're going to spend even more money to make it bigger, heavier & ungainly looking. If this happens, it looks like the new Ford Fiesta will be the next car that I'm looking to buy.
    Way to go VW! Please give us the car as is & as a 2 door GTI version. Please!
     
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  7. ma_turbo-d avatar turbo-d Posted: 3/16/2009 11:31am PDT

    VW themselves have limited their success in the US by offering limited models and limited options vs. their European line up. I've been expecting them to bring over the polo for some time but VW seems to scared to offer any car they think Americans wont buy. VW doesn't bring any interest to their brand in the states and until they do VW is never going have the sales numbers they would like, we are bored of jettas and golfs and want other models to bring in new VW buyers. If VW offered the Polo and Lupo models along with their wide selections of engines they would be in a great position for the up and coming small car market. With the news that VW is going to bring a polo built for our market doesn't give me any confidence in VWs future in the US market, it seems to be more of the same. It seems my last VW is going to be my 92 GTi.
     
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  8. ma_ken83gti avatar ken83gti Posted: 3/16/2009 11:47am PDT

    If VW wants to bring over a tall 5 door Polo to compete with the Fit, Matrix & others, then that seems like a good idea & would likely work. But they still need to have the full range of normal Polo's. And if they do bring the 3 door or GTI versions, I will buy one.
     
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  9. ma_boilingpoint avatar boilingpoint Posted: 3/16/2009 12:15pm PDT

    I am a daily reader of the Motor Authority web site. However this is the first time I have felt I needed to register to post a comment.

    I can't believe how out of touch some car companies are with the North American market.

    Case in point. The European model Mazda6 is a beautiful vehicle. It looks sleek, elegant and athletic. But what does Mazda... do stretch it and make it look bloated and boring for the North American market. I'm sure the car is selling but it would have been a home run for Mazda if they brought the European model.

    I was planning on purchasing a vehicle this year. Then I heard there may be a chance the Polo would be coming. I made the decision to hold off for now and see how things play out.

    I was quite excited about the prospects of the Polo coming here but not after reading this article. I'm afraid they are going to do with the Polo what Mazda did with the Mazda6.

    VW you need to wake up and bring the Polo as it is. It's exactly what we need and it's the right time. I guarantee it will be a home run.
     
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  10. ma_NoNameDenton avatar NoNameDenton Posted: 3/16/2009 1:57pm PDT

    I knew they were going to do the sedan, but a 5 door hatch is also a smart move, doubt we will see the 3 door though
     
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  11. ma_JSH avatar JSH Posted: 3/16/2009 1:57pm PDT

    Sorry but if VW is going to succeed in becoming the #1 global automaker they need to be more than a niche brand in the US. To do that they need to steal a page for Toyota's playbook and make vehicles specifically for the US market. For decades they have stubbornly tried to sell Americans European cars and mainstream America has turned their backs. The typical American likes big, bloated, pig-handling cars like Toyota Camrys. There is a reason that the number 1 and 2 selling cars in the US are the Camry and Accord. These are followed by the Corolla and Civic in the 3rd and 4th spots.

    VW is finally listening. The next Jetta and Passat will be bigger and made specifically for the US market. It looks like the US Polo will as well. If they keep this up they just might get somewhere. It will piss off the VW enthusiasts but those enthusiasts aren't a big enough niche.
     
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  12. ma_mitzo avatar mitzo Posted: 3/16/2009 6:20pm PDT

    I find VW's refusal to take North America seriously very frustrating, and I am not at all heartened by this latest move on the Polo. For so long they have both (as two posters above have poited out) denied us their best and even most logical vehicles- Polo, Lupo, Golf+, European Routan - and at the same time refused to adapt to N. American blob lard-assed sedan preferences. What they end up doing here is the worst of both, it seems, larding up the Polo, for heaven's sake. And building it in that terrifying Mexican facility that brought us the reliability and quality-impaired old Golfs and Jettas which effectively ruined VWs reputation here. Gaaahhh...!!! I would have bought a Euro Polo like the one in the pics and videos here, but the distorted shambles they look set to introduce in 3 years'' time (!!) naah.
     
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  13. ma_Bill avatar Bill Posted: 3/16/2009 7:42pm PDT

    Newsflash: The fat American car buyer won't be interested in the Polo even if it is enlarged. However, the rest of us would've appreciated a small car.
     
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  14. ma_JSH avatar JSH Posted: 3/17/2009 5:23am PDT

    NEWSFLASH: 2/3rd of Americans are fat! If VW doesn't make cars for fatties than they will never be more than a niche player. Americans buy cars by the pound, more is always better.

    I like the European Polo, but I also understand that I'm not the typical American car buyer. Besides, the Honda Fit is a nice car and selling very well.
     
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  15. ma_mitzo avatar mitzo Posted: 3/17/2009 3:22pm PDT

    Germans are just as fat as Americans.
     
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  16. By Axel Posted: 12/1/2009 6:57am PST

    WHY are they enlarging the POLO? MINI did not do that to their cars until the next generation of MINI's came out and the first generation outsold themselves!!! I own an 02 MCS and love small cars, never liked the bigger NA cars since they HAVE never been fun!!
     
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