Volkswagen will enter the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2013, according to a statement issued by the company. The challenger? It will be a new Polo R model with enough grunt to take on successful competitors from Citroen and Ford.
“The new Technical Regulations of the World Rally Championship are an ideal fit for Volkswagen's philosophy with respect to the development of production vehicles," says Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Management Board of the Volkswagen Brand, Development Division. "Downsizing, high efficiency and reliability are top priorities for our customers. The timing of the WRC debut is optimal for Volkswagen. The big task of engineering a vehicle that is competitive and capable of winning at a large number of challenges holds great appeal for us.”
Some of the technical changes include the introduction of a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine for the series. The Polo will then be fitted with a 1.6 TSI and an AWD system. VW says it will produce almost 220kW.
The special turbo diesel-powered Touareg has won the gruelling Dakar Rally for the past three years.
1 comment:
Y not a Golf?
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