FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) New technology, new design: presenting the second generation Polo R WRC

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC)
New technology, new design: presenting the second generation Polo R WRC

 World premiere of the 318-hp Polo R WRC in Wolfsburg

 Member of the Board, Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, launches title defence

 WRC kicks off with the iconic Rally Monte Carlo from 22–25 January

Wolfsburg (15 January 2015). In top form, both technically and visually: Volkswagen
presented the second generation of the Polo R WRC in Autostadt, Wolfsburg. The works team
from Wolfsburg has its sights set firmly on another successful defence of its titles in the FIA
World Rally Championship (WRC) with a new car and a new look. Volkswagen completed a
clean sweep of all the World Championship titles when the Polo R WRC made its debut in
2013, before repeating this impressive feat last season. Continuity is the key to the driving
line-up for 2015: double world champions Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F) and teammates
Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN) and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene (N/N) will

roll down the starting ramp and head onto the first special stage of the year for Volkswagen
at the legendary Rally Monte Carlo on 22 January.

“The new Polo R WRC has undergone intense further development, both on the inside and
the outside,” said Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, Volkswagen Board Member for Technical
Development. “Not only does it look even more dynamic and sporty than it did before, but
our engineers have also been working meticulously on technical innovations under the
bonnet and have improved many detailed aspects of the package that has been so successful
for the past two years. The focus of this further development was on efficiency, reliability and
performance. We can hardly wait to see the new Polo R WRC in Monte Carlo and at the other
twelve rallies on four continents.”

Title defence in blue, blue and white: new design for the next generation of Polo R WRC
The most striking change to the Polo R WRC for the 2015 season is its exterior. The white has
given way to dark-blue. White and light-blue stripes see the dark-blue front merge into the
white rear, which features a towering new rear wing. Also integrated in the new design are
Volkswagen’s other partners in the World Rally Championship: Red Bull, lubricant partner
Castrol, Volkswagen Financial Services, tyre partner Michelin, chassis and clutch specialist ZF
Sachs, and supplier OMP.

The Volkswagen engineers have been hard at work implementing many new ideas under the
bonnet. The hydraulically activated gearbox, which is operated via a shift paddle on the
steering column, represents the biggest innovation. Furthermore, three quarters of last year’s
components were checked and many of them optimised, with the aim of making everything
“simpler, lighter, and stronger”.Quotes ahead of the WRC season

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“I am very optimistic that the new car will get off to just as good a start as its predecessor.
We have done a lot of testing and we drivers have worked very closely with the engineers.
We put a lot of effort into developing the new shift paddle, which represents real progress.
We are looking forward to the new season. It will be exciting to see how we fare against the
other teams. The tests have gone well so far, and our engineers have done a good job. The
Polo R WRC is even better than it was before.”

Jari-Matti Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“The new car feels really good, and we are ready for the new season – at last. We will be
using the shift paddle on the steering wheel to change gear this year, and I really like it. On
the whole, the new Polo is faster and even better than the 2014 car. I am not the only one to
feel that way – Sébastien and Andreas agree with me. There is no question about it, we are
looking forward to the 2015 season.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“First and foremost: the new design is really cool. I really like the new colours and new
design, and am even a little bit prouder to be driving the Polo R WRC. I will still be driving the
2014 Polo at the start of the season, and will not switch to the ‘new’ car until the Rally
Portugal. However, that is no problem. After all, our world championship winning car has
more than proven itself, and is certainly anything but slow.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“A launch like ours today is always a welcome sign that the start of the season is upon us. The
whole team has worked long and hard to ensure that we are ready for the Rally Monte Carlo.
Today has given us the final boost emotionally. It is fantastic that the Volkswagen Board and
employees support us so enthusiastically. Motorsport receives huge interest and backing at
Volkswagen. It is now important to repay this support over the course of the new season.”

FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), 2015 season

22/01–25/01/2015 Rally Monte Carlo
12/02–15/02/2015 Rally Sweden
05/03–08/03/2015 Rally Mexico
23/04–26/04/2015 Rally Argentina
21/05–24/05/2015 Rally Portugal
11/06–14/06/2015 Rally Italy
02/07–05/07/2015 Rally Poland
30/07–02/08/2015 Rally Finland20/08–23/08/2015 Rally Germany
10/09–13/09/2015 Rally Australia
01/10–04/10/2015 Rally France
22/10–25/10/2015 Rally Spain
12/11–15/11/2015 Rally Great Britain