Shanghai October 29 (Gasgoo.com) Shanghai Volkswagen, SAIC's joint venture with Volkswagen AG, will launch the German automaker's new Polo in China within the year, carrying a price tag between 68,900 yuan and 107,900 yuan ($10,300-$16,200), auto.21cn.com reported Friday.
As one of the most popular small cars in its segment, the new Polo will be sold under a new Chinese name. Its power train will remain the same as the current Polo, but great changes have been made to its appearance. In keeping with the new Volkswagen "Design DNA", the new Polo looks cuter and much closer to the Golf 6's sporty style.
Different from FAW Volkswagen, a tie-up between First Automobile Works (FAW) and Volkswagen Group, which sells imported Volkswagen models in China, Shanghai Volkswagen is more inclined to local production that makes the appearance of the company's products more suitable for the Chinese aesthetic standards and lowers the cost too. The new Polo will thereby become more competitive due to low price.
The new Polo uses Shanghai Volkswagen's PQ25 platform that the Skoda Fabia also rides. The long-waited Volkswagen 1.4TSI engine will not be equipped with the initial five Polo models. A 1.4 /1.6 petrol engine, code-named EA111, delivering maximum power of 86/108 hp, will otherwise power the new Polo.
As for transmission, the new Polo will feature Volkswagen's manual MQ200 5-speed transmission and Aisin's 6-speed TF60SN automatic transmission. Volkswagen's high performance 5-speed MQ250 manual and 7-speed DSG transmissions will be not available this year for Polo.
