A glimpse of the 2018 VW Polo ahead of Friday’s reveal

After a few prototypes were spotted testing, Volkswagen is ready to reveal its next generation of its compact hatch, the Polo at an event in Berlin, thanks to a teaser image that has provided us with a glimpse of what to expect ahead of this Friday’s reveal.

It’s actually quite revealing, as it shows a good chunk of the side profile as well as the taillight design. Painted in the same striking Turmeric Yellow as the Golf facelift and the Arteon flagship, the new Polo already looks bigger, judging by the length of the rear doors.

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The increased footprint, which will also include a stretched wheelbase, will pay dividends in terms of the space available inside the cabin.

Passengers sitting in the back will get to enjoy more legroom while the reshaped roofline might boost headroom as well. Another advantage brought by the bump in size will be in terms of cargo capacity as the trunk will also grow.

Even though it will be bigger than the current car, the next-gen Polo is likely going to be a tad lighter as a result of switching to the MQB A0 platform already underpinning the sleek new SEAT Ibiza. Speaking of which, the engines, gearboxes, and most of the equipment will mirror those of its Spanish cousin, but the Polo will likely have a few aces up its sleeve to justify the VW badge and the premium that comes with that.

Upon launch, the small hatchback will be offered with the three-cylinder 1.0 TSI and the new four-cylinder 1.5 TSI Evo gasoline engines alongside the familiar 1.6 TDI. Later on in the model’s life cycle, a beefy 2.0-litre TSI will find its way under the hood of the sporty GTI pictured above in prototype guise and set to have about 149kW (from 141kW).

Billed as being a “completely new generation,” the sixth Polo will also boast “numerous technological highlights.” On that note, it will be interesting to see whether VW’s 12.3-inch all-digital instrument cluster aka “Active Info Display” will trickle down to the B-segment hatchback where it would be an optional feature.

We will know what’s what on Friday when VW will take the wraps off the 2018 Polo at an event in Berlin.