Volkswagen has released detailed information - including new photos and design sketches - about the New Polo, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show on last March. Production of the five-door model already started at the end of March, while the market launch is scheduled for June 2009.

Design

Visually speaking, the 2009 Polo was developed from the principles of the new Volkswagen "Design DNA" first introduced with the Scirocco.

The second wave of the new DNA also debuted in 2008 in the new Golf and its high-roofed counterpart, the Golf Plus.

The new formal language - developed under the direction of Walter de Silva, aims at expressing a more mature character and requires innovative development and production methods.

The New Polo measures 3,970 millimeters in length (+54 millimeters compared to previous model) and 1,682 millimeters wide (+32 millimeters) – offers space for up to five people and a lot of luggage (280 to 952 liters).

The car’s generous gain in width combined with a reduction in height (-13 to 1,453 millimeters) lends the Polo a more dynamic stance and purposeful appearance.

The design itself is defined by sharp, precise lines without stylistic gimmicks that quickly fade in popularity; because in the long run, less is more – and the consistently high resale values of Volkswagens are longstanding proof of this claim.

This explains why Walter de Silva intentionally declared "La Semplicità" – "the simplicity" in Italian – as his credo here.

Walter de Silva commented: "Elegance and emotionality, sportiness and dynamics, continue to guide design and styling. In pursuit of simplicity and clarity, one must carefully consider how to express the intentions of designers while speaking to those of the observer."

The starting point for all of these deliberations is the car’s reflection on the Volkswagen brand, its history and its values.

"Certain distinctive design elements", says de Silva, "have evolved as typical of the brand. Mastery of the architecture and a balance of proportions have formed the foundation, the emphasis on horizontal lines has evolved into a unifying characteristic across models, and a literal love for details has become an essential means of expression."

Above all, there is a very high level of quality that can be clearly seen in the unmistakable precision of the car’s lines and in the treatment of its surfaces. The new Polo reflects these design principles par excellence.

"The Polo," underscores de Silva, "displays self-assured proportions. As soon as you see the car, you are struck by its dynamic looks, while the design is clean and the overall appearance very purposeful.

"Reduced radii, tight seams and extremely sharp panel edges in its side profile, engine hood and tailgate underscore the car’s logical design concept. Above all, the gain in width leads to a very full, powerful image from every perspective."

Front end

The Volkswagen family face that has been specially adapted to the Polo with its flat grille and band of headlights that has typified the brand ever since the Scirocco – emphasizes the car’s additional width.

Moreover, it conveys an image of the car’s very low center of gravity. Integrated in this face are the Polo’s body-colored bumpers beneath the black grille.

In a third horizontal line below this, there is another large air inlet that supplies the engine and brakes with ample air.

At its sides, this black band incorporates the daytime running lights and fog lights with integrated turn indicators.

The daytime running lights save up to 0.15 liter of fuel per 100 kilometers compared to conventional continuous running lights. Just a few centimeters above the road there is the narrow body-colored front spoiler.

This spoiler has been moved forward, and it makes a decisive contribution towards the car’s pedestrian protection credentials.

Rear end

The rear of the car is characterized by geometric order and sportiness.

The design cue from the headlights, with their line breaking off with an upward turn, is taken up again in the taillights.

They also display a very distinctive night look and extend into the Polo’s broad shoulder. Supported on these shoulders – in the area of the car’s lateral "character line" that can be seen from every perspective – is the roof section.

Meanwhile, the tailgate extends right down to the bumper. Just as on the Golf, the Polo’s tailgate is opened with the VW logo, which swivels up and functions as a handle. A roof edge spoiler integrated in the tailgate is offered as standard equipment.

Seen from the rear, it is evident the increased track width (+29 millimeters in front and +30 in rear) and the how the outer wheels were stretched along a vertical plane right up to the wheel wells. That is also why the Polo can easily accommodate very large wheel-tire combinations. The range of optional tire sizes extends all the way to 215/40 R17.

Side profile

The lateral profile line i dominated by the distinctively sporty front overhang and extremely short rear overhang, the clearly modeled "character line" and low roof that slopes towards the rear.

The prominent shoulder line also gives the vehicle a new lateral structure and emphasizes its generally masculine appearance.

Since the fourth generation, the five-door Polo has also sported what is known as a "three window look", referring to the third side window integrated in the C pillar.

In the area of the A and C pillars, the lower window line also takes an upward sweep, a reference to the styling of the headlights and taillights.

Also striking are the pronounced side skirts, whose shape offers aerodynamic benefits. The Polo’s underbody is optimized for optimal airflow. Also enhancing aerodynamic performance are the redesigned outside mirror housings, whose air resistance has been reduced by 20 percent compared to the previous model.

Body Structure and Safety

The New Polo has an excellent value of static torsional rigidity at 180,000 Nm/°, ahieved thanks to the use of high-strength and very high-strength steels and the right structural design for loading and reinforcement of body nodal points.

In the rear there are very rigid nodal components with envelope-type profile construction, which extend quite far into the contact area of the tailgate hinges. In addition, adhesive joints are used.

This construction method optimizes the approach of using a nodal system for rigidity and produces a homogeneous distribution of rigidity in upper body sections.

Despite the increase in rigidity and the safety gains, the body of the New Polo is 7.5 percent lighter than that of the previous model.

The combination of an optimal structural layout of the car body, material selection and innovative welding and gluing processes result in top values of 43 Hz for the torsional natural frequency and 46 Hz for the bending natural frequency.

Among its goals, the Polo was specifically designed to attain the new, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. In the footwell area alone, intrusion – related to the car body’s resistance to deformation in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 percent.

In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent.

Interior

The entire interior was redesigned. Starting with the "Comfortline", the surface of the instrument panel is upgraded by so-called slush technology (a high-end surface structure that is soft to the touch).

The lower cabin section as well as door inserts and interior trim panels may be ordered in either "Anthracite" or "Seashell".

The driver’s seat, front passenger’s seat and rear bench seat were all redesigned.

More space is now offered at all five seating locations. In particular, knee room in the rear has grown with an increase in the interior length to 1,674 millimeters (+8 millimeters).

Shoulder room in front (1,372 millimeters) has also increased by 22 millimeters. With the rear bench folded the Polo offers a level cargo surface with the dual cargo floor which can be mounted at two different heights.

The driver-oriented center console integrate redesigned controls that have mainteined the layout of the previous model. The two central air vents on the top have high-end bezels in aluminum look from the "Comfortline" up ("Trendline": high-gloss black).

Top of the line equipment includes the RNS 310 – a radio-navigation system with touchscreen, multimedia interface (MEDIA-IN), MP3 functionality (via CD, DVD or SD card) and AUX-IN socket on its front panel. The RNS 310 may also be upgraded to include a hands-free telephone unit.

Also integrated here: a sunglasses compartment, deactivation switch for the front passenger’s airbag and – if included as options – switches for the tire monitoring indicator (air pressure monitoring) and an MP3 port. The vehicle service book is stored in a space-saving storage slot at the base of the glove box.

The instruments of the Polo were also redesigned; they now have white backlighting and are styled like those on the Golf.

The fuel gauge is digital and the rotary light switch – still located on the left – gets a high-end metallic look from the "Comfortline" up - like the bezels for the air vents.

Technical Features

In total, seven different engines will be offered on the new Polo in its first year – four gasoline and three diesel – spanning a power range from 44 kW / 60 PS to 77 kW / 105 PS. Five of these engines are entirely new or are being used for the first time in the Polo.

The new engines include all three TDIs (turbo-diesel direct-injection); thanks to common rail technology implemented for the first time in the Polo, these engines are both efficient and refined.

The Polo 1.6 TDI with 66 kW / 90 PS, combined with a "BlueMotion Technology package", achieves a fuel consumption of 3.6 liters per 100 kilometers and 96 g/km CO2 which makes it the most fuel efficient and lowest emitting five-seater diesel in the world.

(Source: Volkswagen)