Volkswagen Drops Petrol Polo GTI in Australia as Brand Shifts to Electric Polo

Overview

• Volkswagen has confirmed the petrol Polo GTI will be discontinued in Australia, with only limited new units and demonstrators remaining and public statements differing on whether the final production is model year 2026 or 2027.
• Volkswagen unveiled an electric ID. Polo GTI for Europe featuring a 166 kW front motor, 290 Nm torque, a 52 kWh NMC battery, a WLTP range of up to about 424 km and a 0–100 km/h claim of 6.8 seconds.
• VW Australia executives said they have not committed to selling the ID. Polo or the ID.3 Neo locally and will assess each model’s business case based on price expectations, real-world range and the small-car segment size.
• The shift follows a production move in Europe to MEB+ EV models built at Martorell, Spain while Polo assembly for other markets will continue in South Africa, reflecting Volkswagen Group’s wider EV platform reallocation.
• For Australian buyers and dealers this means short-term availability of the ICE Polo GTI is limited and the future of a small, lower-cost VW EV in Australia is uncertain because the market is SUV‑heavy and very price sensitive.