Volkswagen may be embracing a new battery electric era, but the company hasn’t forgotten its compact car roots. For much of its history, the Golf was the brand's most important vehicle, following in the success of the Beetle before it.
The notable hatchback came out in 1974, eventually reaching American shores as the Rabbit—alongside its hot GTI performance sibling—and the rest is history. Meanwhile, we missed out on another key hatchback that Volkswagen launched shortly after the Golf. And it just had a 50th birthday.
VW's Polo has slotted beneath the Golf as the brand’s subcompact offering for half a century now. While we were entertained by the Scirocco, Jetta, and continued production of the Beetle, it remains a prominent nameplate in the European stable.
To celebrate five decades of continuous production, Volkswagen did something rather special to celebrate; the company made its own version of Ken Block’s iconic Gymkhana.
The company’s official YouTube channel released a new video this month, featuring a handful of Polos at its production facility in Kariega, South Africa. It’s a star-studded affair as world rally champion Johan Kristoffersson piloted a Polo WRX wearing Volkswagen’s iconic Harlequin livery.
He’s joined by a fellow Polo R WRC and several other Polo models as they commemorate 50 years of the car’s existence. VW's video channels some of the greatest Gymkhana videos ever produced—pioneered by the late, great Ken Block.
In true Gymkhana fashion, a Red Bull plane flies over the cluster of Polos, tricked out with its own livery, before Kristoffersson guides his rally car through the tight dimensions of the indoor factory where the Polo is produced.
There, we see the Polo GTI make an appearance on the production floor, where Kristoffersson opts to switch cars. He guides the latter back outside toward a bunch of parked rally-specced Polos toward the latest ID.Polo wearing camo. He finishes with a flourish via a handbrake turn.
The ID.Polo wears an updated version of VW’s Harlequin livery, careful not to reveal too many details prior to its release. It’s slated for a 2026 debut and represents a new era of Polo, but also compact electric transportation.
Now, I’ll shut up and let you watch the six-minute video with utter joy and Ken Block memories. Jawdrops are optional.
