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VW Polo R AWD confirmed | report

The limited-build Polo R WRC from 2013 was FWD only, but a quicker AWD version is in the works.

Volkswagen is reportedly readying a high performance all-wheel drive R version of the Polo, to mark the Polo’s first-year World Rally Championship title with Sebastien Ogier in 2013.

Volkswagen has already teased at such a model with the limited-build and front-wheel drive Polo R WRC in 2013, but Autocar reports that an all-wheel drive version is headed for regular production.

Such a model would sit above the existing Polo GTI, and likely use a version of the 2.0-litre turbo and all-wheel drivetrain of the limited-build Audi A1 quattro from 2011 and the new Audi S1 due for a Geneva reveal in March.

The A1 quattro used the 188kW-spec 2.0-litre from the MkVI Golf R, but a Polo R would likely use the current Golf GTI’s 162kW 2.0-litre to avoid cannibalising the 221kW (European-spec) MkVII Golf R.

Unlike the manual-only A1 quattro, the Polo R is likely to be available with a six-speed DSG dual clutch transmission, which along with all-wheel traction could see 0-100 acceleration drop from the Polo R WRC’s 6.4 seconds to below 6.0.

This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn