"I'm pleased about our team having managed to get this car off the ground in such a short time. And I'm very proud about the opportunity to present it to the public on the occasion of the IAA in Frankfurt.” The Polo R WRC is based on the Volkswagen Polo that is successfully sold around the world. Its centerpiece is a 1.6-litre TSI engine that uses direct injection and turbocharging and delivers a power output of about 300 HP and maximum torque of about 350 Newton meters. The new engine regulations that came into effect in 2011 thus perfectly fit the Volkswagen philosophy of clever downsizing for high efficiency with sporty performance. Power is transmitted to the wheels by a sequential gearbox and four-wheel drive system.
In addition, the weight-optimized Polo R WRC features a complex safety cage and, last but not least, an aerodynamically optimized outer shell. The FIA World Rally Championship is the most diverse technological challenge in worldwide car racing. The concept design of a WRC vehicle has to consider various types of ground: gravel, scree, tarmac, ice, snow and mud of any description. In this season, for example, 13 World Rally Championship rounds on four different continents are on the calendar.
Consequently, a World Rally Car has to function in extremely different climatic conditions – from the blazing heat of South America to the icy ride in Scandinavia. Volkswagen is carefully preparing for the new sporting challenge with an extensive testing programme that includes WRC commitments with vehicles of the Group's Škoda brand and the evaluation of young talents, among other things.
