The stage is set for the rally GTI: The Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 enjoyed a successful world premiere. The four-wheel drive rally car for customer sports, which is based on the sixth and latest generation of the new Polo, was introduced to the public for the first time at the official driving presentation of the Polo GTI² in Mallorca on Monday evening. The development of the new rally sports car incorporated the experience and know-how acquired whilst winning four world titles in the pinnacle of rallying, the WRC, from 2013 to 2016.

“Presenting the new Polo GTI R5 to the public was a magnificent moment,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets. “The close relationship to the road-going Polo GTI is unmistakable. In the rally Polo, the GTI family has another spectacular ambassador. Our team and the colleagues at Volkswagen Design in Wolfsburg deserve great credit for this. Over the coming months, the Polo GTI R5 must prove itself in a series of tough scenarios, in order to ensure that it can build on the success of its predecessor in the customers’ hands.”

Initial tests successful, homologation planned for late summer 2018

Development of the Polo GTI R5 has been in full swing since the start of the year. Initial tests on asphalt and gravel took place in mid-November in Fontjoncouse, France, and will continue in Great Britain in December. Responsibility for the entire project lies with Technical Director François-Xavier “FX” Demaison, as well as Project Manager Jan de Jongh, who, as race engineer, looked after world champion Sébastien Ogier’s Polo R WRC from 2013 to 2016.

“The Polo GTI R5 came through the initial tests without any problems. The feedback from the test drivers was very positive,” says Demaison. “It is obviously beneficial to be able to call upon an experienced team of engineers and mechanics, who helped to develop the Polo that won the world championship. And it goes without saying that, as we have in the past, we are also taking advantage of the close and excellent cooperation with the colleagues in the technical development department in Wolfsburg, as well as our Škoda colleagues, who have been offering their customers an R5 car since 2015.”

As in the GTI for the streets: four-cylinder turbo engine with direct fuel injection

Like the production model – the new Polo GTI – the Polo GTI R5 has a powerful straight four-cylinder turbo engine with direct fuel injection, which is mounted transversely in front of the front axle. The capacity of the rally car is limited to 1.6 litres, in accordance with regulations. This is sufficient to generate an impressive 200 kW (272 hp) and maximum torque of 400 Newton metres. A close-stepped, sequential, five-speed racing gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive achieve outstanding acceleration on any surface – whether asphalt, gravel or snow. Weighing just 1,320 kilograms, the rally GTI accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds.

The four-door, steel chassis, which serves as the basis for the assembly, is manufactured at the production plant in Pamplona, Spain. In accordance with FIA regulations, it is strengthened with a role cage and other safety components. The Polo GTI R5 will be homologated in the summer of 2018. The first deliveries to customer sports teams, and the first competitive outings, are planned for the second half of the year.

In 2012, the International Automobile Federation FIA passed the R5 regulations for a new generation of rally cars, aimed primarily at customer teams, talented youngsters and privateers. Since then, more than 400 cars have been produced by five different manufacturers and have been in action in national and international championships all over the world.

¹ Polo GTI R5: The concept vehicle has not gone on sale, and therefore Directive 1999/94 EC does not apply.

² Polo GTI (147 kW/200 PS) fuel consumption in l/100 km: urban 7,7 / extra-urban 4,9 / combined 5,9; CO2-emissions (combined) in g/km: 134; efficiency class: C.

Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk

• Polo to Arteon: eleven Volkswagen models have LED headlights
• Top LED system: predictive cornering lights

In Europe, the sun is rising around 7 am these days, and it already dips back below the horizon around 4 pm. That makes for a short nine hour period of daylight. By 21 December – the first day of winter on the calendar – the sun has an even shorter appearance. Many people consider it stressful to drive in the dark and under winter weather conditions that are often harsh. That is why Volkswagen is offering relief in the form of powerful LED headlights. They are replacing xenon systems in growing numbers of model series – from the Polo to the Arteon. The LED headlights even come as standard in 22 equipment versions – including all three lines of the Arteon. If the car is also equipped with the optional ‘Active Lighting System', its interactive LED headlights utilise data from the front camera and navigation system to predictively illuminate the next curve.

• Innovative driver assistance systems and great efficiency make the 200 PS Polo the compact sports car of a new generation
• First Polo with Front Assist area monitoring system and optionally with fully digital instruments (Active Info Display)
• Industry specialists Bähr & Fess predict: in 2021 the Polo will have the highest residual value of all small cars

As an end-of-year highlight, Volkswagen is beginning advance sales of the new Polo GTI. Featuring output of 147 kW / 200 PS1 and details such as dual clutch gearbox (DSG), sports running gear, sports seats and 17-inch alloy wheels, the most powerful Polo in the range costs €23,950 (in Germany). The new compact sports car is a further high point in the legendary GTI story, for in this Polo the start button for the 320 Newton metre TSI engine becomes a quasi trigger for a fantastic driving experience. However this GTI too offers more than just pure dynamic handling. Performance is accompanied as ever by supreme safety and great comfort – the secret of the GTI concept's success.

With a 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the new Polo GTI accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds. Top speed: 237 km/h. Fuel consumption of 5.9 litres per 100 km reflects the drive system's efficiency. Further characteristic features: firm sports-oriented running gear that is also good for long-distance driving, assured front-wheel drive and an expressive exterior and interior design. Topped off with classic GTI insignia such as the typical red stripe in the radiator grille, the GTI gear knob and the legendary 'Clark' plaid seat covers.

Optional highlights include fully digital instruments (Active Info Display), LED headlights, a whole armada of further driver assistance systems, adjustable sports running gear, 18-inch alloy wheels for the first time, the largest panoramic sliding sunroof of any car in this class and a 300-watt Beats sound system.

The new Polo GTI is based on the product line's sixth generation, which was launched this summer. It is currently experiencing the utmost recognition from all sides: in November the new Polo was awarded the maximum achievable five stars in the EuroNCAP crash tests. Now in December industry specialists Bähr & Fess Forecasts have published their latest analysis on how well all current cars retain their value. According to them the new Polo is the small car that will have the highest residual value in 2021 – a reflection of the quality and durability of the compact Volkswagen.

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com

• Strategic reorientation of the brand towards electric mobility is being rigorously pursued
• The first model from the I.D. Family for the US market will be an SUV
• New electronics architecture forms the basis for digital services that enhance everyday driving

At the Los Angeles Auto Show Volkswagen is offering visitors a look at the future of its electric mobility campaign. Volkswagen is presenting three show cars at the Californian show – the compact I.D., the spacious I.D. BUZZ and the elegant I.D.CROZZ SUV. They represent a completely new vehicle architecture that has been consistently designed for electric drive systems. By 2025 the Volkswagen brand plans to sell one million electric vehicles per year and is aiming to be the market leader in electric mobility. The first model from the all-electric I.D. Family for Europe will be a compact model, while in the USA the first model will be an SUV.

"Cars stand for freedom and individuality", says Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen brand responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales. "The mistakes of the past have speeded up many things at Volkswagen and a real opportunity arises from the crisis. We believe in electric mobility and in a great future for the automobile. It is the most important means of transport in the USA accounting for almost 80 per cent of passenger kilometers travelled."

The Volkswagen brand will meet the challenges of the future with the I.D. models. They are based on the all-electric architecture that will be used group-wide. The new e-vehicles offer zero-emission long-distance travel, fast charging capability and spacious, flexible interiors. "The special features of our architecture are the new proportions with long wheelbases and short overhangs", says Christian Senger, head of the e-mobility product line at Volkswagen, and he adds: "This enables us to create a completely new space concept offering great flexibility for vehicle occupants and cargo."

Senger uses the example of the I.D. compact car to demonstrate how the size of the interior has grown: "It has the exterior dimensions of a Golf, but offers as much interior space as a Passat." This is possible thanks to a space-saving axially parallel e-drive and the high-voltage battery housed in the vehicle floor. This also applies to all other body shapes: "The all-electric architecture enables all kinds of different vehicle types to be developed, from the compact class to a seven-seater SUV."

In Los Angeles Stackmann revealed that in addition to the three models already presented (compact vehicle, SUV and MPV) new members will be added to the I.D. Family in future, including a saloon. Not only do all models have electric drive as a common feature, but also a new kind of connectivity. Instead of a large number of control units, in future the vehicle electrical system will have powerful central board computers with central software that can always be updated and upgraded. This new architecture is the basis for new digital in-car services that enhance everyday driving.

"The technological innovations we are currently working on will further increase the potential of the automobile", says Stackmann. "As well as a highly attractive design and numerous ways of meeting individual customer requirements, we will do everything we can to meet the growing demands that people make on sustainable mobility."

This starts with approaching customers in the right way. In a joint project with the US software group Adobe, potential customers are targeted in social networks and will then find information on the I.D. generation customized according to their profiles on a new Volkswagen internet portal.

Even before visiting a Volkswagen dealership customers can virtually experience the new electric vehicles, also in unusual places. Stackmann says: "We are cooperating with Microsoft here: augmented reality allows us to present the new car virtually in space or in a particular place with the help of HoloLens glasses, for example in cafés and shopping malls."

Further cooperation between Volkswagen and an IT group concerns infotainment being realized together with IBM called Predictive We Services. The basis for this is the digital assistant "Watson", who researches possible intermediate destinations for shopping or dinner online and is also able to book them with voice command during the journey.

"For more than 70 years Volkswagen's strength has been in making technologies and above all mobility accessible to people, regardless of the drive system. And that's the way it will be in the future. We make high quality electric mobility accessible to everyone", is how Jürgen Stackmann summarizes Volkswagen's targets.

Article source: www.volkswagen-media-services.com