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Next-gen VW Polo GTI gears up to steal the supermini hot-hatch crown from Ford Fiesta ST.
HERE’S the next-generation Volkswagen Polo GTI, and what better place to catch one of the world’s most eagerly awaited hot hatches than in one of the hottest places on the planet?
Sprung undergoing what we assume is hot-weather endurance testing near Death Valley in Eastern California, this Arizona-registered prototype is the clearest example yet of the German company’s vital new supermini.
Despite all that psychedelic concealer, the typical GTI hallmarks – big wheels, slammed stance, twin pipes – are plainly visible, suggesting that Volkswagen will not be dragging its feet in the battle for B-segment hot-hatch supremacy against the runaway success Ford Fiesta ST, as well as the Renault Clio Sport, Peugeot 208 GTi, Suzuki Swift GTI, and – hopefully one day – the Mazda 2 MPS.
An upsized Polo ought to mean more passenger and cargo space, as well as the usual high-quality Volkswagen dashboard design and presentation.
To that end, we understand that the newcomer will switch to the full-fat version of Volkswagen Group’s MQB modular transverse architecture, after the current ‘Mk5.5’ facelift released in 2014 adopted some of its electrical and multimedia systems, first seen in the Mk7 Golf.
As with the current Polo, the Mk6 will share many components with the second-gen Audi A1 due sometime next year, and will also be the basis of Volkswagen’s small SUV, seen in concept-vehicle form as the Volkswagen T-Cross Breeze at this year’s Geneva Motor Show back in March.
What will Volkswagen Group Australia do, we wonder?
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