By Nick Syn

VOLKSWAGEN’S FACELIFTED POLO hatchback will be launched on September 7th and it should be very attractively priced in the low $60K region. Powered by a 1.4-litre engine and equipped with a proper four-speed automatic, the new Polo should find homes with buyers looking for Continental alternatives in a hatchback market dominated by the usual Japanese suspects such as the Honda Jazz and Mazda 2.

VW will also launch the Touran around the end of September. This is a seven-seater MPV built on the same platform as the latest Golf hatchback, and it will be available with 1.6 and 2.0 FSI engines, both mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. There’s no word on pricing for this model as yet but based on where VW is price positioning the Polo, expect the Touran to also make things uncomfortable
for the incumbent Japanese marques.