Volkswagen Polo 1.6L CKD facelift due soon, ready batches spotted at Pekan plant



The facelifted Volkswagen Polo 1.6L CKD has been openly displayed at the brand’s local production plant in Pekan, signalling that a local launch may be due as soon as the coming two months. These ready-made batches of Polo hatchbacks were spotted during an exclusive media tour round the DRB-Hicom assembly plant, and Volkswagen Malaysia made no effort in keeping these cars behind closed doors.

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So it’s an open secret now, but there’s no mention of the price tag it will carry nor its estimated date of arrival. What’s more interesting is that the CKD Polo sedans that are rolling out of the same production line doesn’t carry the facelifted look.

Changes to the outside are minimal, though barely noticeable if seen from afar. The chrome strip inside the headlights are now blackened to give it a sportier appeal and gets a chrome bar in the lower front grille. The front fog lights’ design remain the same, though they now come with a thin black strip of plastic in the middle. Also new here is the grille – the facelift gets three horizontal lines (two black and one chrome), whereas the pre-facelift has two chromed bars running across the grille.

VW Polo CKD
The pre-facelift Polo 1.6L hatchback CKD

Changes at the back is even harder to tell, but upon closer inspection reveals that the tail lights are new in design. The bumper remains the same and the VW logo still functions as its tailgate-opening handle. Side profile remains identical and the Polo still sits on the same seven-spoke 15-inch alloy rims shod with 185/60R15 series tyres.

Inside, the Polo facelift gets a new steering wheel design and is now flat-bottomed. Pardon us for not providing you with pictures because unfortunately for us, the ‘display unit’ was locked. But rest assured when it arrives, we will.

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There’s no telling if the engine will be different this time around, but it’s very likely that the 1.6-litre MPI engine will be retained, as with its six-speed torque converter auto’box. The naturally aspirated engine makes 104 hp and 153 Nm of torque whilst returning a fuel consumption of 6.3 litres per 100 km.

At the time the Polo hatchback CKD was introduced, it carried a price tag of RM87,888 (first 500 owners had a RM2,000 discount), but is now priced at RM89,888. It’s hard to say if these minor enhancements would warrant (and justify) a price hike, but we’ll leave that element of surprise to the hands of VGM.

VW Polo CKD Facelift

On a side note, the Polo Goes Zero campaign is still being run by VW Malaysia, one that allows their customers to purchase a brand new Polo CKD without having to fork out a single cent for down payment on top of a 0 percent interest rate financing plan.

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