A look back at the history of the Volkswagen Polo in India
Twelve years separated the first and last Polo in India, and we trace the journey of the car that laid the foundation for Volkswagen in the country.
Published on May 24, 2022 16:12:00
January 5, 2010 was a milestone. German automaker Volkswagen unveiled its first mass-market product, the Mk5 Polo, to Indian consumers at the Delhi Auto Expo. Despite getting in a few years early, this was the car that would effectively launch the brand in India and VW took no chances getting that launch right. There were no halves, not a dime to spare, at this all-important launch, and after the massive smoke, lights and action-packed unveiling at Pragati Maidan, VW India kept the momentum going with an unprecedented promotional and marketing blitz, which included The launch of the Polo peaked on March 8, 2010 for Rs 4.34 lakh.
The message was clear: VW was big, had money to burn and meant business. This was the company to join and anyone worth their resume applied for a job there. But what about the Polo itself?
Volkswagen Polo: small car, big plans
The Polo came to India within a year of its international launch and represented German quality at its finest. Its sturdy build, beefy suspension and driving dynamics helped it stand out from the competition at the time, but it was let down by two underpowered engines. The two 75hp 1.2-litre engines – one naturally aspirated petrol and one turbodiesel – clearly didn’t match the brilliant chassis, and the cramped rear seat was an enduring weakness that stuck to the end.
However, these weaknesses did not stop customers from buying the Polo, which set a new benchmark for quality and durability. The hatchback got off to a flying start, fueled in large part by the staggering amount of marketing money behind it. In 2011, the first full year of production, VW sold 38,634 units, a great debut by any measure. Ironically, this was the Polo’s best year ever, and after 2013 sales began to fall as the reality of the Polo’s high running costs and poor resale value began to bite. Intense competition from larger, better equipped and more modern premium hatches from Honda, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki also made life difficult for the Polo. However, neither the Japanese nor the Koreans could match the sheer build quality and dynamism of the German hatch, and it is these attributes that earned the Polo a consistent following for the remainder of its years.
Volkswagen Polo: Several changes of heart
Shortly after launch, VW India realized that the Polo needed the right set of engines to match its dynamically brilliant chassis and in September 2010 launched a larger 1.6-litre 105hp engine that would certainly make it too a “warmer” hatch made . But it was the fabulous 105PS 1.2 TSI engine mated to the 7-speed DQ200 dual-clutch automatic gearbox that gave the Polo hot hatch status.
This amazing engine, with its punchy midrange and wide torque spread, turned the Polo into by far the most fun hatch. The 1.2 TSI engine also demonstrated VW’s mastery of direct injection, the turbocharged petrol technology that remains the gold standard in the industry to this day. TSI became synonymous with power, performance and refinement, and the Polo GT TSI found more buyers than expected despite its high price.
In 2014, the Polo received a minor facelift, but the big upgrade was the introduction of the 90hp 1.5 TDI engine, which was a boon for diesel enthusiasts who were fascinated by the crude and underpowered three-cylinder 1.2 TDI, whom he replaced were unimpressed. More importantly, the 1.5 TDI was a potent weapon in the Polo’s arsenal to fend off other premium diesel hatchbacks that were gaining ground at a time when demand for diesel was at its peak. But as good as the powerful and economical 1.5 TDI was, it could not stop the gradual decline in sales of the Polo.
The Polo was starting to show its age and this was clearly visible in 2017 when the Mk6 Polo, based on the company’s future-ready MQB platform, was launched internationally – effectively leaving the Indian Polo a generation behind. Also, consumer preferences shifted to the interior of the car rather than what was under the hood. The electrical and electronic (E/E) architecture of the old PQ25 platform on which the Polo was based was its biggest limiting factor. It just didn’t have the E/E firepower to offer the wealth of infotainment and connected features that its rivals could. That’s why the Polo stuck with old-fashioned analogue dials until the very end, and the touchscreen that finally made its debut in 2017 looked more like an aftermarket facility than one that’s built into the car.
The introduction of BS6 emissions standards in April 2020 brought about the biggest change in the Polo’s engine range – some good, some not so good. VW, still wracked with guilt after the “Dieselgate” scandal in 2015, dropped diesel from its entire range, including the Polos. The company did not want to be seen as a manufacturer of diesel vehicles and therefore did not want to invest in converting diesel vehicles to the new emission standards. Instead, it focused on its core TSI technology. What the 2020 Polo got on top of the base 76hp 1.0 MPI engine was the latest EA211 1.0 TSI, a compact three-cylinder cracker that developed a lively 110hp, loved revving and had a zippy exhaust note.
The 1.0 TSI also saw the debut of the 6-speed torque converter from Aisin, which replaced the 7-speed DQ200 dual-clutch gearbox in the previous 1.2 TSI. Fears that the torque converter would hamper performance proved unfounded after our tests showed that the new automatic was actually faster than the discontinued dual-clutch variant. But it was the 6-speed manual gearbox that got the best out of the 1.0 TSI, giving the Polo real hot-hatch credentials. It was a fitting farewell after 12 long years.
Volkswagen Polo: final sprint
What finally made the Polo worthwhile were the manufacturing costs. Too expensive for VW, which made an estimated loss of 1,000 euros on every car sold. Built for European markets and consumers, the Polo had an inherent cost to meet international safety and durability standards, but unfortunately consumers were not willing to pay for it.
But his “Europeanness” always made him popular with his owners. Which is why it came as no surprise that in February this year, after Autocar India broke the story of the Polo’s impending demise, there was a rush to buy the last remaining stock.
The robust construction, timeless design and driving style of the Polo make it stand out from the crowd. It was for people who loved cars and that’s how the Polo will be remembered.
HORMAZD SORABJEE
Volkswagen Polo Cup: race on Sunday, sale on Monday
Volkswagen couldn’t just drop a press release about the Polo’s departure and be done with it. Not with the love it stirred in the hearts of his fans. It needed a proper farewell, and what better way to say goodbye than to celebrate your motorsport pedigree at a race track. If the Polo was born in Chakan, the MMRT (Madras Motor Race Track) was its playground for those 12 years; a playground that has seen the rise of the Polo Cup.
The Polo Cup cars aren’t just standard cars with a bit of tuning and some nice looking racing decals. These are real race cars with slick tires, fully stripped interiors, racing roll cages, fire suppression systems, stiffened suspension; and in the last Cup season the engine was tuned to over 200 hp and mated to a sequential gearbox.
Inside, there’s nothing more than a single stiff racing seat with five-point seat belts, a compact MOMO steering wheel, a tiny screen that replaces the dials that show your temperatures and pressures, and absolutely no soundproofing. As a result, from the moment the engine springs to life, the race car sounds completely like the role, and then the lightning-quick acceleration, jerky shifts and powerful braking reveal the responses of a car bred for racing. He drove in a way that belies his age and he put in some incredible laps, hopping the curbs and hurtling down the straights.
Under Sirish Vissa (Head of VW Motorsport), the Polo Cup, which started in 2010, grew to great heights. It started with the Polo TDI, went through the Polo TSI, then the Vento Cup, followed by the Ameo Cup before finally returning to the Polo in 2020. Vissa has also been the driving force behind some incredibly cool projects like the mid-engine, rear-wheel drive Polo RX. Still, his baby was the Polo Cup, and as he stood in the pits proudly watching each Cup car rumble down the start/finish straight, you could feel the emotion beneath his famous ear-to-ear smile. There will be no more Polo Cup, but thanks to many enthusiasts across the country, his creations and legacy, like the Polo, will live on.
JAY PATIL
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