AN inconvenient measure of our life — and in this case our life in the automotive industry — is the incessant celebrations of anniversaries. The latest that reminds us of just how long we’ve been around and how nameplates seamlessly blur the years, is the Volkswagen Polo.

This was the “baby” Golf that I first drove at its Australian launch in late 1996, incredibly 21 years after its launch in Europe as Australia was not regarded as a “small-car” market and the Golf — introduced locally in 1976 — was more than capable of supplying the market.

Popular? More than 20 million of the little cars have been sold since inception.

In Australia in 1996, there was one model, with one gearbox (five-speed manual). It was pretty basic, but fun, and a precursor to a string of subsequent and increasingly more attractive, models through six generations.

In celebrating its 50 years, Volkswagen called it “efficient, affordable, innovative and practical and one that “stands for affordable entry-level mobility and the democratisation of technical progress.”

The new car was heavily based on the Audi 50 (well, identical) which wasn’t a great seller. The 50 was launched in 1975 but pulled from production in 1978 because of poor sales. Meanwhile, sales of the Polo rocketed.

Volkswagen named the Polo after the wind. Like many other models from the factory at the time, names were tied to the wind. ‘Polo’ for polar winds; ‘Golf’ for gulf winds; ‘Passat’ for trade winds; ‘Scirocco’ for the Mediterranean/North African wind; before Volkswagen ran out of wind.

The company used the slogan “Small of the outside. Big on the inside” to launch the car.

The Polo was part of a new Volkswagen model family that took over the streets in the early 1970s. In the spring of 1975, the angular small car followed the Passat (1973) and Golf (1974) of the then still young water-cooled model generation, which succeeded the legendary Volkswagen Beetle.

What began as a simple two-door vehicle in 1975 has been perfected and expanded in many facets over five decades: in a total of six generations, as a hatchback Polo, as a coupe, as a sporty G40 or GTI, as a colourful Harlequin, as an estate, as a notchback with the name Derby, as a CrossPolo with its off-road look, as an efficient Polo BlueMotion and as an extremely dynamic Polo R WRC, which was crowned with four World Championship titles in the World Rally Championship from 2013 to 2016.
Each Polo generation offered more space and comfort, more efficient engines and innovative safety features. New features such as front and side airbags, power steering, belt tensioners and ABS were introduced and made sure the Polo remained successful.

The next major step followed with the modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform, which set new standards in terms of connectivity, safety and driving dynamics and made the model even more digital and innovative.

Today also, the small car boasts assist and convenience systems that are otherwise available only in higher vehicle classes. The model continues to be very popular worldwide and will be kept up to date in 2025.

A perfect example of this is the Polo GTI, which can now be driven even more dynamically – thanks to electronic stability control (ESC) that can be be deactivated, performance tyres and a new suspension and steering set-up.

Polo through the generations:
Polo I: The first Polo, presented in Geneva in March 1975, was a simply equipped two-door model compared with the Audi 50, on which the new Volkswagen was technically based, and which was offered in parallel by Audi. The Polo, initially available with a 29 kW (40 PS) engine, impressed with an outstanding price-performance ratio and high utility value. With a length of 3.50 metres, it offered space for four people plus luggage. The original version of the Polo was produced until 1978, the updated version until 1981. More than 1.1 million vehicles were produced, including the Derby notchback version with spacious load compartment, built from 1977 to 1981.
Polo II: In September 1981, Volkswagen presented the second generation of the Polo with a completely redesigned body that grew to 3.66 metres. This square back Polo model was a two-door small estate with generous space. Only one year later, a fastback coupe with more powerful petrol engines followed. The Polo Coupe GT40 was launched as a limited-edition model in 1987, the most powerful variant to date with 85 kW (115 PS). As an economical variant, the smallest diesel engine with an output of 33 kW (45 PS) also made its debut in the Polo in 1987. The Polo II was produced for a total of 13 years, with more than 2.7 million units sold.
Polo III: The third completely revamped generation followed in 1994: with a new body, chassis and engines. This was also available as a five-door model for the first time. The increased exterior dimensions ensured improved space, and modern safety systems such as airbags, belt tensioners and ABS were introduced. In 1995, one of the most curious Polo models was launched: the Polo Harlequin, whose four colours could be combined in a modular design. From 1997, the Polo was available as an estate. A limited special series made its debut in 1998: the Polo GTI with 92 kW (125 PS), which now also featured the three magical letters for the first time. A total of 3.5 million Polo III models were produced.
Polo IV: The fourth-generation Polo, introduced in 2001, had a new design with four large clear-glass headlights and was 150mm longer and 50mm wider than its predecessor. It now offered a luggage compartment volume of 1030 litres with the rear seats folded down. New engines, including three-cylinder engines and powerful turbocharged engines in the Polo GTI, provided more power. Safety features such as front and side airbags, power steering and ABS were on board as standard. The Polo GTI (now with 110 kW/150 PS) followed in 2006, along with the CrossPolo in a robust off-road look and the Polo BlueMotion (with CO2 emissions of only 99 g/km). A total of 4.1 million fourth-generation models left the factory gates.
Polo V: The fifth-generation Polo, which celebrated its world premiere in March 2009, was longer than its predecessor with a length of almost four metres. The design was characterised by clean lines. Five new engines complemented the model range, including the Polo BlueMotion, which was introduced in December 2009 and consumed only 3.3 litres of diesel on average for 100 kilometres. The sporty Polo GTI was part of the model range again, and the Polo R WRC Street special model with its 162 kW (220 PS) TSI engine was available to order for the first time. The fastest production Polo to date brought the motorsport feeling of the World Rally Championship (WRC) to the road. Volkswagen sold a total of 6.3 million Polo V cars between 2009 and 2017.
Polo VI: The sixth-generation Polo, introduced in 2017, was based for the first time on the modular transverse matrix (MQB) platform, giving it numerous optional features from higher vehicle classes. These included automatic emergency braking (AEB – front assist) with city emergency braking system and pedestrian monitoring, lane-change system with blind-spot monitor and adaptive cruise control (ACC). Thanks to the modular concept, the Polo grew in length by 81mm and now offered a luggage compartment volume of 351 litres. In 2021, the Polo was comprehensively revamped with a sharpened body design and new optional features such as matrix LED headlights and assist systems such as IQ.DRIVE Travel Assist. The cockpit was digitalised and offered displays with screen diagonals of up to 250mm as well as numerous digital features such as wireless charging and App-Connect. The new Polo GTI followed in summer 2021 with a powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine and an output of 152 kW (207 PS). In 2023, the limited-edition special model Polo GTI Edition 25 made its debut with exclusive equipment to mark the 25th anniversary of the Polo GTI. Volkswagen has produced more than 2.5 million units of the Polo VI to date. _ NEIL DOWLING