VW Launches New Polo in Spain

MADRID – Production of the new Polo is under way here at Volkswagen’s Landaben plant, near Pamplona in the north of Spain.

The current-generation car will remain in production alongside the revamped model until late April, when the new version goes on sale.

The new Polo will be offered with a choice of four gasoline engines, a 1.0L with either 60- or 75-hp rating and 1.2L turbo rated at 90 or 110 hp. Three versions of a 1.4L diesel are available with outputs of 75, 90 and 110 hp. All are Euro 6 compliant.

VW says the engine lineup boosts Polo fuel economy an average 21% vs. the outgoing model.

Later in the year, the automaker will launch a BlueGT version of the car, equipped with a 180-hp 1.5L turbocharged gasoline engine with cylinder deactivation, and a new Polo GTI with the same engine boosted to 192 hp.

All Polos sold in Spain will come equipped with a stop/start system and brake-regeneration system.

The Polo has been assembled since 1984 at the Landaben plant, which was opened by British Motor in 1962 for production of the Morris 1100. The facility has built four generations of Polos under VW ownership, with output totaling 6.5 million units, 89% of which were exported.

Last year, the facility, known as Volkswagen Navarra, assembled 289,589 vehicles, 93.2% exported to 70 global markets, with Germany, France and Italy as main destinations.

Currently, Landaben employs 4,908 people and has capacity for 1,524 vehicles per day.