2018 Volkswagen Polo Beats back for an encore

THE Volkswagen Polo will become a rolling boom box, with the German premium carmaker revealing a special “Beats” version of its smallest hatchback that will join its showrooms from August.

The new volume player – excuse our pun – takes a standard $19,490 85TSI Comfortline and adds the second generation of VW’s Active Info driver display, a customisable 10.25-inch digital dashboard. The Volkswagen Polo Beats then replaces the default six-speaker audio set-up with a 300-watt system, exterior stripes and badges, bespoke interior highlights and heap of gear – as well as $3000 to the price tag.

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The return of the Beat-branded Polo follows a similar campaign last year for the previous-generation city hatchback. That package was so popular that Volkswagen said it “rapidly sold out” after its introduction.

The Beats name comes from a tie-in with Beats Electronics, the former music-streaming company founded by musician Dr Dre and producer Jimmy Iovine that found its real forte was in making and selling Bluetooth wireless headphones.

“This sound system, exclusively designed for Volkswagen to provide reverberating but crystalline sound, is but one feature of the successor to the Polo 5 beats, which rapidly sold out on introduction last year,” Volkswagen said.

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The Beats special edition comes with a choice of three colours; a no-cost red or a $500 optional white/silver metallic or pearl black finish, all featuring the narrow stripe over the driver’s side.

Other features of the Volkswagen Polo Beats over and above the 85TSI Comfortline include:

• A Beats emblem on the B-pillar
• Beats decals on the roof and bonnet
• 16-inch Torsby alloy wheels replacing the standard 15s
• Black-capped wing mirrors rather than body-coloured
• Front fog lights
• Wireless phone charging
• Matte velvet red decorative inserts to dashboard, console and door
• Comfort sport front seats
• Beats door sill inserts

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Standard safety features on the 85TSI Comfortline include low-speed automatic emergency braking that will also stop for pedestrians, driver fatigue detection, a tyre pressure indicator and a reversing camera.

The special run of Volkswagen Polo Beats variants will follow in the wake of the Volkswagen Polo Launch Edition, a limited-run version of the new sixth-generation hatchback that launched in Australia last month.