Volkswagen unveils Polo GTI R5 customer rally car

In Cars, International News, Motorsports, Volkswagen / By / / 0 comments

Volkswagen may have concluded its top-flight works rally programme at the end of the 2016 World Rally Championship season, but it hasn’t left the rally scene entirely. Enter the Polo GTI R5 rally car, a model which will be sold to private rally teams and is eligible for entry into the WRC2 category this year.

Volkswagen Motorsport, the company’s arm for racing endeavours, plans for an initial run of 15 Polo GTI R5 cars, though all of these have already been spoken for. Most of these are going to Volkswagen importers who plan to enter the R5s into their respective national championships, says technical director of Volkswagen Motorsport François-Xavier Demaison.

The Polo GTI R5 is slated for its competitive debut on home ground in August this year, at the Rallye Deutschland round of the World Rally Championship. “By then, we’ll have been able to put the car through its paces – the next time will be in the UK and then in the snow of Scandinavia in January,” says Demaison.

Based on the sixth-generation Polo GTI, the R5 competition car is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged inline-four engine with direct injection producing 272 PS and 400 Nm of torque, paired to permanent all-wheel-drive and a five-speed sequential gearbox.

Cars competing in the R5 category are subject to a maximum price stipulation. The FIA has set the limit at €180,000 (RM867,829) currently, and will grow to €190,000 (RM916,145) for the 2018 season. Cost containment measures make sense for customer motorsport even though more challenges are posed to the engineers, Demaison said. For instance, select bodywork is made of less-expensive plastic, instead of carbon-fibre.

This year’s R5 season appears set for interesting competition. There’s the Polo R5 above, led by Demaison who was behind the all-sweeping Polo R WRC, fellow VW Group stablemate Skoda enters the 2018 season off the back of three consecutive WRC2 titles, and the Mellors Eliiot Motorsport-prepared Proton Iriz R5, which has seen competitive results from its initial outings.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Polo GTI R5


Volkswagen Vento RM 87,646 - RM 94,461
Volkswagen Polo RM 77,646
Volkswagen Polo GTI RM 153,608 - RM 158,608
Volkswagen Jetta RM 129,578
Volkswagen Golf RM 150,635 - RM 164,608
Volkswagen Golf GTI RM 213,060 - RM 231,060
Volkswagen Golf R RM 247,060 - RM 293,060
Volkswagen Beetle RM 137,620 - RM 148,620
Volkswagen Scirocco RM 190,608 - RM 194,635
Volkswagen Scirocco R RM 284,060 - RM 291,087
Volkswagen Eos RM 259,060
Volkswagen Passat RM 160,937 - RM 200,030
Volkswagen CC RM 229,967 - RM 253,967
Volkswagen Passat CC R-Line RM 379,505
Volkswagen Tiguan RM 149,578 - RM 169,578
Volkswagen Cross Touran RM 169,608 - RM 170,635
Volkswagen Sharan RM 274,122 - RM 280,149
Volkswagen Touareg RM 438,283 - RM 624,320
2017 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI Highline
RM 109,990
2017 Volkswagen Vento 1.2 TSI LED Pre-Own
RM 69,888
2011 Volkswagen Passat CC 2.0 (A) TSI PADDLE SHIFT
RM 67,800
2014 Volkswagen Beetle 1.2 TSI Sport
RM 76,800
2013 Volkswagen Golf GTi 2.0 (A) MK7 TURBOCHARGE
RM 138,800
2010 Volkswagen Scirocco 1.4 TSI 1 YEAR WARRANTY
RM 42,800
2009 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0 TSI
RM 88,000
2012 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 TSI Hybrid
RM 223,000
 
Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.
 
 

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Last Updated 25 Jan 2018



 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Volkswagen unveils Polo GTI R5 customer rally car

In Cars, International News, Motorsports, Volkswagen / By / / 0 comments

Volkswagen may have concluded its top-flight works rally programme at the end of the 2016 World Rally Championship season, but it hasn’t left the rally scene entirely. Enter the Polo GTI R5 rally car, a model which will be sold to private rally teams and is eligible for entry into the WRC2 category this year.

Volkswagen Motorsport, the company’s arm for racing endeavours, plans for an initial run of 15 Polo GTI R5 cars, though all of these have already been spoken for. Most of these are going to Volkswagen importers who plan to enter the R5s into their respective national championships, says technical director of Volkswagen Motorsport François-Xavier Demaison.

The Polo GTI R5 is slated for its competitive debut on home ground in August this year, at the Rallye Deutschland round of the World Rally Championship. “By then, we’ll have been able to put the car through its paces – the next time will be in the UK and then in the snow of Scandinavia in January,” says Demaison.

Based on the sixth-generation Polo GTI, the R5 competition car is powered by a 1.6 litre turbocharged inline-four engine with direct injection producing 272 PS and 400 Nm of torque, paired to permanent all-wheel-drive and a five-speed sequential gearbox.

Cars competing in the R5 category are subject to a maximum price stipulation. The FIA has set the limit at €180,000 (RM867,829) currently, and will grow to €190,000 (RM916,145) for the 2018 season. Cost containment measures make sense for customer motorsport even though more challenges are posed to the engineers, Demaison said. For instance, select bodywork is made of less-expensive plastic, instead of carbon-fibre.

This year’s R5 season appears set for interesting competition. There’s the Polo R5 above, led by Demaison who was behind the all-sweeping Polo R WRC, fellow VW Group stablemate Skoda enters the 2018 season off the back of three consecutive WRC2 titles, and the Mellors Eliiot Motorsport-prepared Proton Iriz R5, which has seen competitive results from its initial outings.

GALLERY: Volkswagen Polo GTI R5