Preview: 2010 Volkswagen Polo three-door

Volkswagen’s new Polo hatch is due to go on sale in the middle of the year as a 2010 model and was first revealed last month at the Geneva Motor Show in five-door trim. We can now get a look at the sportier three-door variant due later this year thanks to these latest computer generated renderings. As expected, the three-door will share the same basic shape as the bigger five-door but will ride on a slightly shorter wheelbase.

The engine lineup should mirror that of the five-door model, which means a total of seven powertrains will be available. Mated to a new 7-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox, the new Polo is considerably more efficient than the outgoing car. The petrol range will kick off with a 1.2L TSI generating 103hp (77kW), and a total of three new TDI variants will be available, including a 1.6L unit cranking out 88hp (66kW).

New to the model family will be a BlueMotion option with regenerative braking technology and electronically controlled components, though this won’t arrive until sometime next year. A performance GTI model is expected as well, possibly featuring VW’s brilliant 170hp (125kW) 1.4L TSI engine.

The next-generation Polo, positioned just below the Golf in VW's lineup, could come to the U.S. by 2011 if greenlighted for American sale. Previous reports peg VW building North American versions of the Polo at its plant in Pueblo, Mexico, which has advantages both logistically and financially.

VW is keen to triple its U.S. sales to 800,000 units by the end of the decade and plans to launch two new sedan models designed specifically for the American market and to be built at the company’s new plant Chattanooga, Tennessee. The addition of smaller models like the Golf and Polo will only help VW attain this goal quicker.