The Volkswagen brand says it is repositioning its new, sixth-generation Polo to appeal to a fresh set of buyers.
According to Automotive News Europe, the Wolfsburg automaker will no longer position the Polo – which plays in the B-segment, competing with the likes of the Ford Fiesta and Renault Clio – as the VW for those who can’t quite stretch to a Golf.
“The Polo’s image invoked price stability, quality and durability, but it wasn’t considered chic. Younger buyers want a more expressive car,” Dirk Weinerowski, product marketing boss for the new Polo, told the publication.
Weinerowski went on to reveal that Jürgen Stackmann, the VW brand’s head of marketing, was the man driving the repositioning of the Polo, adding that he had identified one new “guiding” customer profile.
The typical buyer, Weinerowski explained, would be “young, female, just graduated and looking to purchase her first new car”. Whether a similar repositioning will be implemented in South Africa, of course, remains to be seen.
Due to launch in SA in early 2018, the new Polo is larger than its predecessor and will be offered with plenty of in-cabin technology, from VW’s Active Info Display and wireless smartphone charging to various driver assistance filtered down from the Golf and Passat.
Needless to say, specifications and pricing for SA-spec models have yet to be revealed.
