New Polo GTI revealed ahead of Geneva

[team_v]

What would be the reason for no manual transmission? I know the dual clutch auto's are pretty sweet but still, you will always have manual buyers, even more so for a turbo 4cylinder. The new Polo looks very nice! I love it all the inside and outside. Bummer about no manual transmission though.

It allows them to claim Euro VI Compliance for emissions as the car will not rev over 3k RPM i assume.

[Rocket36]

I know the dual clutch auto's are pretty sweet

Just to clarify, the DSG is not a "dual clutch auto".

It allows them to claim Euro VI Compliance for emissions as the car will not rev over 3k RPM i assume.

Not rev over 3,000 rpm? What would be the point of the GTI badge then? lol

[team_v]

Not rev over 3,000 rpm? What would be the point of the GTI badge then? lol

Why bother putting in a 7speed gerbox when the car is only going to get up to 110km/hr? That's about 15km/h for each gear.
The GTI badge has been watered down by the eco/green movment and the consumer is now wanting to be associated with greener vehicles.

The DSG7 is put in so the car changes gears at lower revs and uses less fuel = less emissions.
3k was probably a bit meager, more likely to be maxing out at 4k before gear changes in auto mode.

[naughty]

It will be interesting to see pricing, because my prediction is that the high spec Polo (as above) will hover just below the base spec Golf 6 GTI. This will be quite intentional on VW's part.

okay - in terms of South African pricing here is what im estimating - you can use XE.com to get an idea of exchange rate differences, but prices could be different

when i purchased my 5 door polo GTI i paid R210000 (ZA rands) and that included the leather interior as well as sunroof and 18" rims and tyres minus a discount cos i paid cash for the car (no bank loans) .... at that time a golf 5 gti dsg with xenon lights and sunroof as well as satnav and the 18" rims was adding up to R290000 (ZA rands)

in December the Golf 6 GTI was available here in SA but the old Polo was still applicable - so one identical to mine with leather interior and sunroof and 18" rims would set you back R284000 (ZA rands) and if you wanted the SATNAV in there add in another R15k but the base price was R249000 in 2009 as opposed to R189500 in 2007 when i got mine ...... then the Golf 6 gti with the sunroof and leather and xenon lights plus all the park distance aids and automatic parking aids etc was around R360000 (ZA rands) add in around R30k for the satnav and R12k for the Dynaudio audio setup - so more-or-less around R400k with all the interesting extras

im estimating the base price of the Polo GTI to be around R300k and add in around R30k if you want all the extras including Satnav so my guesstimate of around R100k less than the golf 6 GTI here is probably inaccurate since it would probably be closer to R70k or so but then again it is based on the price being around R50k above the price of the old one and it might not be that much or it could be that much (i doubt it will be more)

the thing is that the tax implications are also still to be seen and i reckon you will save a lot on having the smaller engined vehicle and i think that the Golf 6 GTI will be far more expensive in a year from now here, than it is currently

pricing strategies will obviously be different according to the country you live in - im basing all my guesses on how VWSA normally work and current pricing here - but it should be indicative of pricing generally if you look at it based on percentages instead of straight exchange rate conversions

[Timbo]

To be fair, I'm comparing configured (ie, optioned up) list retail prices, not actual buying prices, as there's many factors that come into play in determining what the dealer finally agrees to sell a car for.

Indeed, one of these is the existence of certain model configurations, such as a highly spec'd leather pack. Dealers and car companies like these in a model range, because they are usually high(er) margin models and they are usually placed to tempt, for example, someone who is keen on the Golf GTI, but can only afford the base spec. You'll see dealers steering them to the higher spec (and margin) Polo GTI "for the same money"

[Whubbsie]

um pretty sure the polo is the lower margined car compared to the golf

[guest12345]

i don't think the polo gti would be anywhere near as cheap as the current version, it will be much closer to the golf gti, i reckon base price would differ around 5k compared to before which was close to 10k.

[Corey_R]

Well, base price is currently $12,000 difference. But you're right, this new Polo GTI would have to be at least $2,500 more due to the inclusion of the DSG as standard. And the model pictured would be even more due to the Xenon/LED DRL, Sunroof, and PDC etc.

[Timbo]

um pretty sure the polo is the lower margined car compared to the golf

Well, base price is currently $12,000 difference. But you're right, this new Polo GTI would have to be at least $2,500 more due to the inclusion of the DSG as standard. And the model pictured would be even more due to the Xenon/LED DRL, Sunroof, and PDC etc.

And it's when you start upping the spec that the margin rises...rapidly!

[mozzzy_2000]

I remember reading an article awhile back where VW were saying that the new Polo was actually cheaper to produce than the previous/current model so I personally can't see there being much of a difference in price if any at all.
Most of you are assuming that DSG will be standard in the new Polo GTI but I have not read anywhere where they specifically say that that is the case. I would be very supprised if there is not a 5 speed manual in the GTI and the DSG optional. Its an option on every other VW so I cant see that changing.
In any case my guess is that the list price will be under $30K because they need to structure it around the Golf GTI and the Polo GTI couldn't possibly be only a few thousand less because no one would buy the Golf as it would not be competitively priced. Simple economics really. Anyway my 2 cents.

[Flighter]

I remember reading an article awhile back where VW were saying that the new Polo was actually cheaper to produce than the previous/current model so I personally can't see there being much of a difference in price if any at all.

That was true of the Golf V and VI, the base model for which I think rose by $500 when the VI announced, and I guess is $500 less than the V given that VW dropped the price recently. I think they cut the number of hours it took to produce the Golf VI by about 25%, so I wonder if they managed the same feat with the Polo.

[Corey_R]

Most of you are assuming that DSG will be standard in the new Polo GTI but I have not read anywhere where they specifically say that that is the case. I would be very supprised if there is not a 5 speed manual in the GTI and the DSG optional. Its an option on every other VW so I cant see that changing.

From the VW Press Release

The TSI engine is linked to a compact seven-speed, twin-clutch DSG gearbox that channels drive through the front axle. In addition, the Polo GTI is fitted with the XDS differential, an electronic cross-axle traction control system for improved traction and handling. The XDS system is a functional extension of the electronic limited slip differential (EDL) which is a part of the standard ESP system.

No mention of 'optional' in relation to the DSG, and no mention of a manual 'also being available'. So whilst I do agree that specifications and pricing are yet to come, it seems very strange, even for VW, to not mention the manual at all. Not even in the fuel economy or performance figures do they mention the manual's figures - this is a departure from previous VW press releases where they mention all of these things if two gearboxes will be available.

[limmy]

New pics!

couldn't find any prior post...but here are new pics ahead of geneva

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/ge...-polo-gti.aspx

[pixl]

No mention of 'optional' in relation to the DSG, and no mention of a manual 'also being available'. So whilst I do agree that specifications and pricing are yet to come, it seems very strange, even for VW, to not mention the manual at all.

The thing you have to keep in mind is that this is a press release. They need to pump it full of new tech specs to garner interest -- a 7 speed DSG does that.

It wouldn't make sense to not offer the cheaper manual option in their cheapest car.

[Corey_R]

I understand that - that's why I wasn't simply basing it on that single press release. I refered to many other VW press releases, including the Golf R which was fairly recent, before I made my post.

Also, the Polo GTI is the most expensive Polo - not their cheapest car... though I do also get what you mean there.