The Volkswagen Polo Robust has been announced in Brazil’s South American market, designed for use on farms across the country.
The sixth-generation Polo is the German automaker’s best-selling model in the country and only surpassed the twin-cab Fiat Strada mini in the title of most popular car overall in 2023.
The Polo Strong hatchback, with its powerful name, joins Volkswagen’s Saveiro and Amarok application vehicles in its lineup of models designed for off-road use, the Robust name previously used on the Saveiro Robust Edition in 2020.
The new Polo Edition brings raised front and rear suspensions for increased ground clearance on rough terrain, while two option packages are meant to make the Polo Robust even more farm-friendly.
The first package adds external grill guards, vinyl seat covers, and rubber mats; Wait a minute, add a rubber compartment mat and tow bar.
The Robust appears to be in the front-wheel-drive economy Polo Track brought to Brazil in 2023, a scaled-down edition of the regular Polo, to keep the price down, which replaced the Volkswagen Gol as the brand’s cheapest small car.
The Robust’s thicker rear bumpers, metal wheels, and tinted taillights are the same as the Polo Track.
The Robust is powered by a 1. 0-liter three-cylinder flex-fuel engine paired with a five-speed manual transmission, with no automatic options.
The term “flex fuel” refers to the Pole’s ability to run on gasoline and/or low-ethanol “biofuel” blends; homeowners in Brazil can do this at the pump.
More than 2 million new cars were sold in Brazil in 2023, making it the largest market in the region (significantly higher than Australia’s 1. 2 million sales), but still close to 2012’s peak of 3. 6 million.
Volkswagen’s market share will rise to 15. 8 percent in 2023, with 345,000 vehicles sold, just 23. 1 percent for Fiat.
In February 2024, the German automaker announced plans to invest another $1. 83 billion (A$2. 76 billion) in the Brazilian market, aiming to expand sales by 40% by 2027 with a mix of hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles and electric vehicles.
That same month, Fiat also announced a number of new vehicles, adding an “urban-sized” pickup truck designed especially for Latin America.
The Italian logo, from the largest Stellantis group, announced in March 2024 that it would invest $6. 07 billion (A$9. 16 billion) until 2030, where it has 3 factories.
Volkswagen has 4 plants in Brazil – where it has been operating for 71 years – and is the country’s largest exporter.