When the Volkswagen Golf was launched, it instantly became a hit. The Golf mixed practicality with looks and price to become a bestselling icon. However, at that time, the Volkswagen line-up was looking a bit thin. With only two or three cars on sale, Volkswagen sought to add another budget-friendly small car to the market.
In the mid-1970s, ‘super-minis’ were extremely popular with younger buyers. Their cheap cost and practicality meant that they were easy to drive in cities and since they weren’t extremely fast, they were perfect for teenagers and newer drivers. Audi had already introduced the Audi 50, a car that perfectly fit this class of car. As such, Volkswagen decided to borrow much of the technology for the Polo from the Audi 50.
While the Polo borrowed design cues from the 50, it was in fact designed by the Bertone design studio. The Polo would be built on the Audi 50’s chassis and borrowed the Audi’s 900cc four-cylinder engine. The Polo’s design was based on that of the larger Golf, allowing the Polo to be marketed as a mini-Golf.
The Mk1 Polo would be launched to the market in 1975, initially selling in mainland Europe and the UK. As time went on, Volkswagen would update the car with features such as new bumpers, better interiors, and more powerful engines. VW would also introduce a 771cc Polo in 1976 for Sweden and a few other markets, but sales were slow for that model, so it was discontinued in 1977.
The Mk1 Polo was more affordable than the Audi 50, resulting in the Polo becoming an instant sales success. Due to sluggish sales, the 50 was discontinued in 1978 while the Polo would continue to flourish. The Polo Mk1 would be replaced by the Mk2 worldwide in 1981. In its six-year production run, Volkswagen would sell over 500,000 examples of the Mk1, allowing it to go down in the history books as a major sales success.
The Polo is now in its seventh generation, and it continues to sell extremely well worldwide. It is one of the most successful cars in its class, and Volkswagen has sold over 18 million units over a near 50 year production run.
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