Volkswagen has recently introduced the fuel-efficient BlueMotion sub-brand in Brazil with the Polo but with one crucial difference: the South American car has a petrol/ethanol engine rather than the diesel used in Europe.
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Changes compared with the standard Brazilian Polo include aerodynamic modifications, a smaller grille opening, lower ride height, lighter wheels, low-friction and narrow cross section tyres, and an ECM remap for the 1.6-litre, 99hp (petrol)/102hp (E100 ethanol) flexfuel engine.
VW Brazil has also revived the ‘4+E’ five-speed gearbox its German parent previously used some years ago for special ‘economy’ model variants sold in a number of other markets including the UK.
In the flexfuel Polo Bluemotion, gearing is substantially taller, especially in fifth, and the 119mph top speed is reached in fourth, rather than top gear.
Economy improvements are 19.5% on petrol and 24.5% on ethanol, or 15% in average city/highway fuel consumption, according to the automaker.
The Bluemotion pack also includes some extra convenience items and adds about 5,000 Brazilian reais (US$2,300) to the price of the top Polo model.
It would take five years at 9,000 miles a year (the average here) running solely on ethanol to recover this amount so VW, accepting that market acceptance will be very limited, is expecting to sell only around 300 units a year.
It is also considering launching BlueMotion versions of the Fox and Gol.
Fernando Calmon
