Monday, May 9, 2011

VW to field the Polo in WRC 2013

VW Management Board Member, Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg has announced that the company plans to compete in the 2013 WRC with the Polo. The announcement was made in front of 200 journalists as the Polo R WRC was unveiled. “Almost exactly two years ago, in May 2009, the most recent model of the Polo was presented here in Sardinia. Today we are proud to show you the hottest Polo of all time – the Polo R WRC” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Kris Nissen at the occasion.

The WRC Polo will be an AWD vehicle and will be powered by a 1.6 liter TSI engine good for close to 300bhp of power. VW has been winning the Dakar Rally for three consecutive years now and is now training its eyes on WRC, to sport that is globally covered and highly rated.

“The new Technical Regulations of the World Rally Championship are an ideal fit for Volkswagen’s philosophy with respect to the development of production vehicles. Downsizing, high efficiency and reliability are top priorities for our customers. The timing of the WRC debut is optimal for Volkswagen. The big task of engineering a vehicle that is competitive and capable of winning at a large number of challenges holds great appeal for us.” said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Management Board of the Volkswagen Brand, Development Division.

VW has some previous rally heritage to boast of as well. The most important of these was in 1986 when Volkswagen Golf GTI 16V claimed the world champion’s title in the newly incepted Group A.


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