Volkswagen has recently unveiled the second generation Polo R WRC at a special event in Wolfsburg, Germany.
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.
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".
According to Volkswagen Technical Development boss Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neußer, "The new Polo R WRC has undergone intense further development, both on the inside and the outside. 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 German carmaker will compete in the 2015 season, which kicks off on January 22 at the legendary Rally Monte Carlo, with three cars. Its driving line-up remains the same, with Sebastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia, Jari-Matti Latvala/Miika Anttila and Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Floene.
