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2022 Volkswagen Polo GTI facelift teased ahead of June 2021 reveal, Australian launch due by mid-2022

Volkswagen's pocket rocket to go under the knife for a facelift next month, ahead of first Australian arrivals between April and June 2022.


The facelifted 2022 Volkswagen Polo GTI has been teased for the first time, ahead of its full debut at the end of June 2021, and Australian launch in the second quarter of 2022 (April to June inclusive).

A sole teaser image released by Volkswagen overnight confirms the Polo GTI will benefit from similar styling updates to those applied to the standard Polo late in April, headlined by a new front end with reshaped headlights and a full-width LED daytime-running light bar.

Differentiating the GTI from the lesser, sport-themed R-Line is a GTI-badged upper grille with a red pinstripe, plus honeycomb grille inserts, and quad hexagonal LED fog light modules in the lower front bumper – the latter inspired by the larger 'Mk8' Golf GTI.

The pre-facelift GTI's five-spoke 17-inch alloy wheels should carry over, as indicated by the (albeit exaggerated) teaser sketch. LED headlights will likely become standard across the European range – rather than halogen bulbs on entry-level models – as per the standard facelifted Polo line-up.

While images of the hot hatch's rear end have yet to be released, expect design changes to be limited to wider LED tail-lights extending into the tailgate, joining a GTI badge under the Volkswagen logo, and dual exhaust tips.

Above: 2022 Volkswagen Polo R-Line interior.

Inside, expect the facelifted 'regular' Polo's updates – namely updated infotainment software, a touch-based climate control panel, and Volkswagen's new steering wheel – to complement GTI-specific tweaks including tartan cloth sports seats (or leather/suede on fully-loaded models), red contrast stitching, and GTI badging.

Also new for 2021 is slated to be a wider suite of available active safety features, including the German car maker's Travel Assist system, which allows the Polo to accelerate, brake and centre itself within its lane on freeways.

Under the bonnet, it's likely the pre-facelift Polo GTI's 2.0-litre 'EA888' turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine will carry over unchanged, with identical outputs of 147kW and 320Nm – on par with its rivals on power, but up on torque, to the tune of 30Nm versus a Ford Fiesta ST.

A six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission should continue to drive the front wheels, with the introduction of a three-pedal manual option unlikely for the remainder of this generation's life cycle.

The 2022 Volkswagen Polo GTI will be unveiled in full at the "end of June 2021", ahead of an Australian launch in the second quarter of 2022 (April to June inclusive) – following the regular Polo's first-quarter 2022 local launch.

Below: The current Volkswagen Polo GTI

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Alex Misoyannis

Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.

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