The head of the Volkswagen R division has explained why building a Polo R hot hatch to slot in above the 147 kW Polo GTI “would not work”.
Speaking to Car Throttle, Jost Capito, the man in charge of Volkswagen’s R GmbH performance division, said not all models in the Wolfsburg-based firm’s stable were in line for the full-fat R treatment.
“We will have an R version where we think it makes sense – that doesn’t mean all,” Capito told the British publication.
“The Polo would not work. When we see what the clients have in this range, there is an interest but the volume would be too low, and the cost would be too high,” he said.
In addition, Capito suggested a Polo R could quite easily tread on the toes of the larger Golf R.
“It would come very close to the area where the Golf [R] is, and the Golf is much higher volume. The Golf is the starting point for R models from the size of the cars,” Capito explained.
Capito furthermore said the Passat “would also not be the first choice”, while hinting the Arteon would receive the R treatment. Of course, VW recently pulled the wraps off its new 340 kW Touareg R, while the 221 kW T-Roc R was unveiled in early 2019.
