With the upcoming Polo GTI R5, Volkswagen returns to rallying under a new guise. In the second half of 2018, Volkswagen will make the 270 hp rally version of the Polo available to professional teams and aspiring drivers to enable them to compete in championships across the globe (including WRC2).
Today, the German car manufacturer has published the first official sketch of the upcoming Polo GTI R5. The new model is based on the sixth generation Polo and comes with a 1.6 liter four cylinder engine, a five-speed sequential gearbox and all-wheel drive.
“With the Polo GTI R5 we are hoping to transfer our expertise from four WRC titles to customer racing successfully, and offer a first-class racing machine for countless rally championships from national series to the WRC,” said Volkswagen Motorsport Director Sven Smeets.
The car was developed by François-Xavier Demaison, father of the record winning Polo R WRC. He was helped by Gerard-Jan de Jongh, former race engineer for Sebastien Ogier. With the new Polo GTI R5, Volkswagen privateers, teams and importers the opportunity to contest national, regional and international championships with cost-effective, powerful rally cars.
