VW Polo Vivo goes Xpress

South Africa’s top selling passenger car in 2015, the Volkswagen (VW) Polo Vivo, could soon also be one of the country’s most popular commercial vehicles, following the introduction of the half-tonne Xpress.

The Xpress was the brainchild of chairman and MD of Volkswagen Group South Africa, Thomas Schaefer. It was designed and developed locally by the VW Engineering Division in Uitenhage, in response to requests from fleet owners for a small delivery vehicle from Volkswagen.

The result is a useful 519 kg payload and 1 060 litre volume of loading capacity, despite being based on the 1.4 Conceptline with 55 kW.

Its standard features include remote central locking with alarm, air-conditioner, ABS brakes, suspension raised by 15 mm, load partitioning behind the front seats and hard-wood flooring in the loading area.

Available optional features include cruise control, CD/Radio, 14-inch alloy wheels and a rough-road package (front under-body guard and heavy-duty shocks).

The Polo Vivo Xpress has been homologated as a N1 Commercial Vehicle, which will allow VAT-registered customers to claim back VAT. The retail price is R163 700 (VAT and emissions tax included).