Skoda Octavia RS245 in Australia from November, 2018 VW Polo due first quarter – UPDATE
UPDATE: This article previously suggested the RS245 would be offered in DSG automatic form only. In fact, the company expects to offer both.
The hot new Skoda Octavia RS45 will hit Australia in November, while the now not-so-compact new 2018 Volkswagen Polo will touch down in the first quarter of next year.
Timing for both models was confirmed today by Paul Pottinger, communications manager for Volkswagen Group Australia, which also manages the Skoda brand here.
Full local details on the powered-up Octavia RS are still to be finalised, although Pottinger told CarAdvice today that the company is hoping to confirm the 245 as a permanent member of the range, under one condition.
In its previous form, the RS230, Skoda's hottest Octavia was available only with a manual transmission - the less popular option in today's market - and thus was only offered in limited numbers.
This time around, the company is hoping to secure both manual and automatic options, and if can secure the latter, it will look at making the RS245 an ongoing member of the family.
Revealed in February, the RS245 is powered by the same 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that featured in the RS230, but with outputs boosted to 180kW and 370Nm - up from 169kW and 350Nm. (This same tune also drives the Golf GTI Performance Edition 1, while the regular Octavia RS now gets the 230's tune.)
Skoda says the RS245 will hit 100km/h in 6.6 seconds, shaving a hair from the 6.7-second run claimed by the RS230.
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2018 VW Polo here early next year
As for the new Volkswagen Polo, a new teaser has surfaced online this week, in the form of a simple but revealing outline of the hatch's silhouette.
Of course, with spy photos published recently, along with photos of an almost entirely undisguised example of the new hatch, there is little left to be seen.
Mechanical and powertrain details are still to come, although it is known the new Polo will be larger than the outgoing model, riding on a shortened version of the MQB platform that underpins the current Golf.
Indeed, speaking with CarAdvice today, Volkswagen Australia communications manager Paul Pottinger said the new Polo has become known internally as "Golf Junior", with comparisons made to the fourth-generation Golf.
Pottinger also confirmed we can expect "a couple" of petrol variants in the range, but, as with the current model, no diesel will be offered.
A hero GTI variant will again feature, but we won't see it in Australia until the third quarter of next year.
On the limited-edition style side, a 'Beats' edition will feature either from launch or shortly after.
In its previous 81TSI Comfortline-based form, the Polo Beats added a 300-watt sound system, contrasting door mirrors, body decals, darkened tail lights, 16-inch alloys with a Syenit alloy wheels, sports seats with Alcantara trim and beats logos, fake leather door trims and red cabin stitching.
The new Polo will be revealed in the coming days.
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