Volkswagen have unveiled the much-rumoured Polo GTI R5 to the public for the first time ahead of its planned homologation next season.
The new car, built to the R5 regulations that can be used in championships across the globe, has been in development since the beginning of 2017 and has already undergone a successful testing
programme with more outings to follow.
Based on the latest sixth generation Polo, the brand new car features a straight-four-cylinder turbo 1.6 litre engine generating 272hp and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 4.1 seconds.
Credit: Volkswagen
A large number of the team that developed the World Rally Championship dominating Polo WRC between 2013-2016, have been working on the new project for the German manufacturer and technical director François-Xavier “FX” Demaison was pleased this was the case: “The Polo GTI R5 came through the initial tests without any problems. The feedback from the test drivers was very positive”
“It is obviously beneficial to be able to call upon an experienced team of engineers and mechanics, who helped to develop the Polo that won the world championship.”
The Polo GTI R5 is set to be homologated next summer, with the first competitive outings for the new car set to begin in the second half of 2018.
