The Volkswagen Polo R WRC proved itself to be a highly-successful rallying machine in the past two years as it had grabbed both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ title, putting Volkswagen in the spotlight. Keen to grab more victories in 2015, Volkswagen had recently unveiled the second generation of their Polo R WRC just before the new season kicks off next week.
The most obvious change on the car would be the Red Bull livery that goes from blue up front to white at the back. The new Polo R WRC also features new headlights, a new rear wing, and a number of improvements underneath the skin.
“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 improved many detailed aspects of the package that has been so successful for the past two years,” said Dr. Henz-Jakob Neusser, the Volkswagen’s Board Member for Technical Development.
One of the main innovations in the car is a new, hydraulically activated gearbox which can be operated via the steering-mounted paddles. About three quarters of the car’s components were also checked and most of them were optimized in making it “simpler, lighter and stronger”. This is in line with their focus of making it more efficient, reliable, and packs more performance.
“I am very optimistic that the new car will get off to a good start as its predecessor. We have done a lot of testing and put a lot of effort into developing the new shift paddle, which represents real progress. The Polo R WRC is even better than it was before,” said reigning champion Sebastien Ogier.
