VW reports roughly 13,000 advance orders for new 2010 Polo
2010 VW Polo - Click above for a high-res gallery
Volkswagen has accepted roughly 13,000 orders for its new 2010 Polo hatchback in Germany ahead of the car's official launch. Production of the Polo began back in March, but the car won't be hitting dealerships until the end of June. A major contributing factor for the car's brisk early sales figures is thought to be Germany's scrapping scheme, which boosted sales by over 20% in each of the first few months it's been available. Under the program, new car purchasers qualify for a subsidy worth 2,500 euros for trading in their old clunkers.
German buyers will be able to choose a Polo with one of four gasoline or three diesel engines, many equipped with turbochargers and direct injection. VeeDub's latest 7-speed DSG transmission will also be available on select models. The most frugal trim will carry the BlueMotion badge and attain 62 mpg U.S. in European combined testing with just 96 grams of CO2 per kilometer, making it the most fuel efficient diesel-burning 5-seater in the world.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
paulwesterberg 12:45PM (5/12/2009)
How much better mileage would a hybrid with the engine get?
Hopefully emmisions will be low enough that they can sell this in the states and force honda & toyota to start offering plug-in hybrids.
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katherine 5:10PM (6/01/2009)
Diesel engines have always been allowed in the U.S. There are no emissions standards for diesels, as they pose much less of a threat to the environment than gasoline-powered cars.
A hybrid diesel might get more than 62 mpg, but battery longevity & disposal would make the car way more expensive for consumers. It absolutely wouldn't be worth the cost to go hybrid in this case, since 62 mpg is incredible as is.
atc98092 8:45PM (5/12/2009)
No diesel emission requirements? 'Fraid not, Katherine. There are very stringent requirements on diesel engines. I wish you were right, because I really want an Audi A4 diesel. Still might come, though!
Also, it's been shown that the batteries are highly recycleable (although not 100%) and so far have shown surprising long lifespans.
I agree that combining diesel and electrical powertrains will drive up the costs greatly, but personally I think they would still be worthwhile.
paulwesterberg 8:13PM (5/12/2009)
>> they pose much less of a threat to the environment than gasoline-powered cars
That is total bs, I think you have been sucking on a diesel tailpipe for too long. The sulfur, nox & particulates released by most diesel engines is much worse than any gasoline engine.
http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/04-12/diesel-vs-gasoline-article.htm
California has stricter standards for emissions which keeps many European cars from being sold in the US. If you can't sell in California they figure it is not worth the effort to release a car in this market. VW has better diesel engines than most European car makers so this may be less of an issue for the polo, though they might not want to sell a value oriented car in the US to keep from cannibalizing sales of their upscale models.
atc98092 8:53PM (5/12/2009)
"The sulfur, nox & particulates released by most diesel engines is much worse than any gasoline engine."
No, that's not accurate either. The web page you listed is dated April 2005. That is long before Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and the latest exhaust treatments. In the smallest particulate sizes, gas engines are equal or worse to the new diesels. NOx is the only emission that is higher than a gas engine, and there are a number of studies that question if NOx is really a problem. NOx was/is the only existing issue with diesel emissions, as long as we are talking about the newest treatments.
If you burn Biodiesel, everything except NOx drops even further, but the new clean diesels can't burn BD higher than 5% concentrations, because of the method used to clean the particulate filter.
downtoearth 8:31PM (5/13/2009)
Westerberg is right, European diesels are much dirtier than gasoline cars, especially clean burning hybrids.
http://adac-ecotest.awardspace.biz/
The new generation of diesels with AdBlue or NOx traps are a bit better but still significantly behind hybrids.
2009 VW Jetta TDI diesel gets 6 out of 10 for air pollution score which is what an average gasoline car achieves.
Previous gen Toyota Prius II scored 8 out of 10.
CNG-powered Civic was awarded 9 out of 10.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=25262
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/compx2008f.jsp?year=2009&make=Toyota&model=Prius&hiddenField=Findacar
wxman 10:19AM (5/14/2009)
>2009 VW Jetta TDI diesel gets 6 out of 10 for air pollution score which is what an average gasoline car achieves.<
The EPA's "Green Vehicle Score" is virtually worthless for comparing gasoline and diesel vehicles. It does NOT include evaporative emissions ("This score reflects vehicle tailpipe emissions that contribute to local and regional air pollution, creating problems such as smog, haze, and health issues." - http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/Aboutratings.do ). Diesels have virtually no evaporative emissions because of the very low volatility of diesel fuel.
Furthermore, these "scores" are based on the Bin to which the vehicle is certified. These "Bins" are emission LIMITS which don't take into account by how large of a margin these limits are met, i.e., they give no credit for meeting the limits by an extensive margin. The 2009 Jetta TDI is near or below SULEV/Bin 2 limits for all criteria emissions except NOx (which is what throws in into Bin 5).
>The new generation of diesels with AdBlue or NOx traps are a bit better but still significantly behind hybrids.<
You might want to be careful about making a blanket statement that the "clean diesels" are "significantly" behind ALL hybrids. The Malibu hybrid has higher emissions essentially across the board than the 2009 VW Jetta TDI or the 2009 BMW 335d for that matter based on official emissions certification data.
Matt 1:42PM (5/12/2009)
I don't care what kind of engine it has, 62 mpg is impressive. I bet some hypermiling could stretch that to 70+. Now, can they sell the 62 mpg version to some Americans this time? Thanks
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downtoearth 8:25PM (5/13/2009)
Matt 1:42PM (5/12/2009):
> I don't care what kind of engine it has, 62 mpg is impressive.
> I bet some hypermiling could stretch that to 70+. Now, can
> they sell the 62 mpg version to some Americans this time? Thanks
It does not get 62 mpg.
This result comes from the European ECE fuel economy test which returns completely unrealistic results. In the same test, the previous gen Toyota Prius II returns 4,3 l/100km = 54,7 mpg while in real life the Prius gets 47 mpg.
It's also worth noting that Prius II energy density adjusted fuel efficiency is 104 gCO2/km while the Polo BlueMotion, being significantly slower and 1,5 class smaller, returns 96 gCO2/km (same ECE test at least ensures comparability). Very minor improvement presented by a much less of a car.
Source: http://fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Prius
Source: toyota.de website with Prius II specs
Source: the article above
katherine 4:05PM (5/14/2009)
To paulwesterberg & downtoearth (and anyone else who wants to believe that gasoline-powered cars are cleaner than diesel):
First, I resent the "sucking on a tailpipe" comment.
Second, you may want to do your research before spouting your Greenist nonsense. Diesel engines may produce a bit more big, bad greenhouse gases than gasoline, BUT since they are up to 40% more fuel efficient their per mileage CO2 emissions are remarkably lower. Also, how about the hydrocarbons & carcinogenic additives in gasoline that threaten public health...or do you value the grass and trees more than human life?
Before you tell me 'there will be an end to human life when we kill our environment' think for a minute about the hybrid car you are driving that STILL BURNS GASOLINE. Can someone please tell me what a "clean burning" hybrid car is? If you are so concerned about the environment, why is it that you are on an AUTO BLOG? Why not opt for public transportation, a bicycle...or better yet, write to the President who just killed our hopes for a hydrogen fuel cell (which produces essentially ZERO emissions) within the next 25 years?
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katherine 4:21PM (5/14/2009)
To paulwesterberg & downtoearth (and anyone else who wants to believe that gasoline-powered cars are cleaner than diesel):
First, I resent the "sucking on a tailpipe" comment.
Second, you may want to do your research before spouting your Greenist nonsense. Diesel engines may produce a bit more big, bad greenhouse gases than gasoline, BUT since they are up to 40% more fuel efficient their per mileage CO2 emissions are remarkably lower. Also, how about the hydrocarbons & carcinogenic additives in gasoline that threaten public health...or do you value the grass and trees more than human life?
Before you tell me 'there will be an end to human life when we kill our environment' think for a minute about the hybrid car you are driving that STILL BURNS GASOLINE. Can someone please tell me what a "clean burning" hybrid car is? If you are so concerned about the environment, why is it that you are on an AUTO BLOG? Why not opt for public transportation, a bicycle...or better yet, write to the President who just killed our hopes for a hydrogen fuel cell (which produces essentially ZERO emissions) within the next 25 years?
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Sam 3:31PM (5/15/2009)
I don't care what kind of engine it has, 62 mpg is impressive.
> I bet some hypermiling could stretch that to 70+. Now, can
> they sell the 62 mpg version to some Americans this time? Thanks
It does not get 62 mpg.
This result comes from the European ECE fuel economy test which returns completely unrealistic results. In the same test, the previous gen Toyota Prius II returns 4,3 l/100km = 54,7 mpg while in real life the Prius gets 47 mpg.
It's also worth noting that Prius II energy density adjusted fuel efficiency is 104 gCO2/km while the Polo BlueMotion, being significantly slower and 1,5 class smaller, returns 96 gCO2/km (same ECE test at least ensures comparability). Very minor improvement presented by a much less of a car.
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your right it doesn't get 62 mpg it'll get closer to 80 mpg. Diesel have always had an actual user mileage higher than their rating and hybrids have always had a lower actual user recorded mileage than their rating. it's a marketing thing. I have an older 1.9 liter TDI and i've had 73 MPG on that when i took it easy, this polo will get 80-90 with ease when your hypermiling.
EPA has even admited their Diesel ratings are under estimating diesels fuel ecnonomy by 18% that's old news.
We need to
I would much rather drive a polo than an ugly prius.
Previous gen Toyota Prius II scored 8 out of 10.
CNG-powered Civic was awarded 9 out of 10.
by the way i can't believe you forgot to mention the Honda Civic hybrid gets a pollution score of 6 out of 10 exactly the same as the TDI Clean diesel.....
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