2019 Volkswagen Polo Spied; Launch Expected By Diwali
Changes include GTI-like front and rear bumpers as well as LED head- and tail lamps. 1.0-litre petrol engine likely to meet BS6 emission norms; no word on the 1.5-litre diesel. Expect similar cosmetic updates to the 2019 Vento facelift as well. The next-gen Polo is not expected to come before 2022 in India. While the sixth-gen Volkswagen Polo is not expected to arrive in India before 2022, the fifth-gen Polo, which is currently on sale, will get an update in the coming months. At least that鈥檚 what the spy images of a partially camouflaged Polo suggest. Even though both ends were covered, the rear bumper looks similar to the Polo GTI that was launched in India in 2017 and was limited to 100 units. The tail lamps look identical to the GTI as well. The front bumper is also expected to get a revised design similar to what we have seen on the GTI.
It appears that the Polo will finally get the GTI-borrowed LED headlamps with DRLS, which are already available on the Vento. There are no spy shots for the interior, but expect it to get minor updates as well. Volkswagen is expected to update the Polo鈥檚 1.0-litre petrol engine for upcoming BS6 emission norms. The 1.5-litre diesel unit is unlikely to be offered in the BS6 era. The naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre petrol engine has an output of 76PS and 95Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed manual. The 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine of the GT TSI model might as well be discontinued as the newer 1.0-litre turbo-petrol is being localised in India. The GT TSI likely get the 1.0-litre TSI engine when BS6 norms kick in. The fifth-gen Polo was available with the same engine in Europe. The engine is available in two states of tune - 95PS/175Nm and 114PS/175Nm - with both manual and DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission options. Volkswagen is also planning to introduce a CNG version of the same engine in India. Along with the Polo, the Vento is expected to get similar cosmetic updates and is likely to be launched at the same time as the 2019 hatchback. The Polo facelift is expected to be priced at a slight premium over the current Polo (Rs 5.71 lakh to Rs 9.72 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi). The sixth-gen Polo is based on the MQB A0 platform, which is current being localised in India and is part of VW Group鈥檚 India 2.0 business plan.
The LED lighting revolution continues, and Volkswagen has some pretty cool stuff coming our way both for headlights and taillights. Take a good look at the photo above. We spent a fair amount of time trying to match up this taillight design with VW鈥檚 current lineup and we鈥檝e got nothing. There doesn鈥檛 seem to be anything in the company鈥檚 recent past that matches either, and we doubt an old car would be used for such purposes anyway. The photo gallery at the bottom of the page features a couple Tiguan SUVs and a rendered concept, but none match the light design and visible body lines of the above photo. It doesn鈥檛 match any concepts we鈥檝e seen either. In fact, it doesn鈥檛 match anything from VW. It does, however, look pretty darned close to the current Golf and a new model is coming for 2020. Here's a comparison with the Golf GTI TCR Concept. Is this some pretty hefty speculation? Possibly, but it鈥檚 not uncommon for automakers to drop teasers in broad daylight, mixed in with regular news. Sure, there could be something we鈥檝e missed, but this could also be a sneak peek at the next Golf - done intentionally or by mistake. Whatever the vehicle is, it will wear VW鈥檚 next-generation interactive LED headlight and taillights. What does interactive mean? On the other side, LED taillights can communicate certain situations to other drivers behind the car, such as an approaching traffic jam. The lights can also project lines on the road during parking maneuvers, to let other cars and pedestrians know precisely where the car is going. This would all function in conjunction with autonomous systems and vehicle-to-vehicle / vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, as well as through manual control by the driver.
In the segment of small hatchbacks, the Volkswagen Golf is regarded as one of the pioneers. Throughout its whole span of life, it had a somewhat roller coaster ride. It made its debut in Europe during the year 1974. The following year it was introduced with the Rabbit nameplate in the USA. After a period of 10 years, its make was redesigned and the Volkswagen shifted its North American variant with the official name 'Golf'. But such a move did not last very long. The golf models that were on the run in first few years after its inception were quite popular due to their solid and reliable feel on different roads and high quality of construction. The Golf was available to the people as either a 2 door or a 4 door hatchback and it had in the offering a spacious interior and attractive body style. There have been a few prominent variants of the Golf by the name of a convertible (the Volkswagen Cabriolet) and an enviable sport tuned hatchback with the GTI label. Most of the Golf hatchbacks produced in the years during the eighties and the nineties were powered strong four-cylinder engines that had either a 1.8 or 2.0 liters of displacement. Some of its diesel engines and also the V6 engines caused the company to incur duties due to environmental concerns.
