Volkswagen reveals CrossPolo, fusion of a car and an SUV

Volkswagen has revealed the details of CrossPolo-a softroader based on the current gen Polo platform. It gets a total of six engine options, and an optional 7-speed DSG too. The CrossPolo looks good and its muscular stance, thanks to the flared wheel arches, roof rails and a pair of good looking alloys is good enough to differentiate it from the hatch. It has a little more ground clearance than its hatchback sibling. A question lingers in my mind-Could this be the third car based on the Polo platform coming to India, after Vento?

Do you remember the time when Fiat had launched Palio Weekend and Adventure? That period wasnt something that could be termed as Fiat India’s golden period. The sales figures were bad and customer satisfaction was even worse. And launching such a product for a market not mature enough then was nothing but a wrong decision. There didnt exist any need for a car, er, estate like that. Then the same happened with Baleno Altura and Opel Corsa Swing and even the Octavia Combi. And the only estate that did good was the Indigo Marina. By ‘good’ here, I mean relatively good.

So if Volkswagen plans to launch one here, the stakes will indeed be high. There are chances the model flops the way Fiat’s did. Or has the Indian market matured enough to accept a product like this?

If it has, then there are chances that CrossPolo does well, goes head to head with the to-be launched smaller variant of Xylo, the 5-seater Xylo, the Uno( if Fiat plans to bring it), Premier Rio and the SX4 hatch(that is if Maruti brings it).

A new segment will be born. A car that can be used as your normal car, can take the shortcut through the forest and carry all the money you robbed from the bank. It surely will prove to be a cool car then, won’t it?

Mini Classic Cars - Wolseley Hornet and Riley Elf (1961–1969)

Picture Of Mini Classic Cars

Built as more luxurious versions of the Mini, both the Wolseley Hornet and the Riley Elf had longer, slightly finned rear wings and larger boots that gave the cars a more traditional "three-box" look. Front-end treatment, which incorporated each marque's traditional upright grille design, also contributed to a less utilitarian appearance. The cars had larger-diameter chrome hubcaps than the Austin and Morris Minis, and additional chrome accents, bumper overriders and wood-veneer dashboards. The Riley was the more expensive of the two cars. The name "Wolseley Hornet" was first used on a 1930s sports car, while the name "Elf" recalled the Riley Sprite and Imp sports cars, also of the 1930s. The full-width dashboard was a differentiator between the Elf and Hornet. This better dashboard was the idea of Christopher Milner the Sales Manager for Riley.

Picture Of Mini Classic Cars

Both cars went through three versions. Initially, they used the 848 cc engine, changing to a single carburettor version of the Cooper's 998 cc power unit in the Mark II in 1963. The MKIII facelift of 1966 brought wind-up windows and fresh-air fascia vents; also concealed door hinges two years before these were seen on the mainstream Mini. 30,912 Riley Elfs and 28,455 Wolseley Hornets were built.