In a distinct “less equals more” scenario the company revealed a two model family for the local market in entry-level Trendline and better equipped Comfortline, both using the same basic 1.2 litre, four-cylinder engine tuned to produce 66 kilowatts of  power in the entry car and 81 kilowatts in the up-specced model.

Both engines are more powerful than those they replace but despite that are far more fuel efficient, the 66 kilowatt engine achieving an official 4.8 litres/100km average fuel consumption and the 81 kilowatt unit 4.9 litres/100km.

By comparison, the 63 and 77 kilowatt engines used in the outgoing car were rated at 6.1 and 5.5 litres/100km respectively, an improvement of up to 21 per cent.

To achieve the numbers Volkswagen has fit stop-start engine technology, which stops the engine when the car comes to a halt and starts it again when the accelerator is pushed, and brake energy recuperation which converts brake energy into electricity to help power some of the cars’ systems.

As well as upgrading the mechanical package Volkswagen has also given the standard equipment list of its smallest car a serious work over with remote opening and closing of the windows, headlight range control, a variable-height boot floor, a chillable two-part glovebox and heated exterior mirrors all on the standard equipment list.

Pricing for the new Polo starts at $16,290 (plus on-road costs) for the manual Trendline. The seven-speed automatic transmission adds $2500 to the price.