Longer, wider and lower than the current model (pictured), the next Polo will wear a sharp design that will fall in line with the seventh-generation Golf and the eighth-gen Passat. The current three- and five-door hatchback bodystyles will be carried over to the new model, but Volkswagen’s design department will give the three-door a more coupe-like silhouette in order to differentiate it from its family-focused sibling.
A four-door variant of the Polo will be sold in select Asian markets, and the hatchback could spawn a small crossover that would slot beneath the Tiguan. German magazine Auto Bild reports an oft-rumored topless version of the Polo is not in the works because Volkswagen can’t make a favorable business case for such a low-volume model.
Power will come from a wide array of gasoline- and diesel-burning three-cylinder engines whose outputs will range from about 75 to 110 horsepower. To satisfy buyers looking for more grunt, Volkswagen will introduce a 185-horsepower GTI-badged version of the Polo and a range-topping WRC model rated at 230 ponies.
Sources close to the company have hinted an all-new platform will allow the Polo to shed up to 150 pounds over the outgoing model. The new platform will also make the Polo safer, more spacious inside thanks to a longer wheelbase and more efficient all across the board.
The seventh-gen Polo will greet the public for the first time at the 2016 edition of the Geneva Motor Show and go on sale across Europe shortly after. Whether Volkswagen will finally import the Polo to the United States to battle against the Ford Fiesta and the Honda Fit is up in the air.
Photos by Ronan Glon.
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