#VwPolo

Volkswagen has big plans for the American market in the near future, with the next-generation Polo and a subcompact crossover joining the German automaker’s lineup.

It’s no surprise that Volkswagen is planning several new crossovers for the market, but the German automaker has revealed that its Polo-based compact SUV will be the first one spun off its new MQB platform.

Even though Volkswagen and Suzuki are still in the midst of a bitter divorce, the German automaker is pushing forward with its plans of developing several crossover models on its own, now that the relationship with Suzuki will clearly not result in any co-developed cars.

Hoping that the compact Volkswagen Polo will head to the United States anytime soon? Don’t hold your breath, as the German automaker is focusing on its Jetta and Golf models and has no immediate plans to bring a Polo to the American market. But it is ready should market demand change says Volkswagen’s VP of marketing, Rainer Michel.

Volkswagen will be showcasing four new models at the upcoming Auto Mobil International (AMI) show in Leipzig, from the CC, Scirocco, Beetle, and Polo ranges.

Earlier in the month we reported that Volkswagen was testing their new WRC Polo R with Carlos Sainz behind the wheel, and now there’s video from Sainz’s testing sessions along with the official announcement of VW signing Sebastian Ogier as their first driver for the FIA World Rally Championship alongside Julien Ingrassia as his co-driver.

Volkswagen’s WRC entry in the form of a Polo R is out testing a little over a year before its official competition debut. The Polo R recently got its first bout of testing on a 1.5-mile tarmac track out in the vineyards in Trier, Germany.

Last year, Volkswagen stirred up some excitement by introducing the 2010 Polo GTI at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show, and this year they’re following it up with an announcement of two R-Line packages for the Polo in addition to an Exclusive Edition for the Passat.

With Volkswagen now having launched the new Jetta and Passat on our shores, the automaker has pretty much run out of cars to Americanize and so it will soon look to deliver some all-new models designed to appeal to our less sophisticated tastes and larger beltlines.

Volkswagen confirmed today that an Audi S1 and a Jetta R are in the pipeline, but quashed rumors of an upcoming Polo R model. In an interview with drive.com.au, Dr. Ernst Linder, responsible for developing the Polo GTI, said that an Audi S1 would be offered with the familiar 1.4L twincharge unit and 7-speed DSG used in the Polo GTI. The S1 will also be front-drive, despite Audi’s legacy of using the quattro all-wheel-drive system.

Volkswagen has released three images of the 2010 Polo GTI, which will be introduced at the 2010 Geneva Auto Show in March.

As we have previously reported, Volkswagen will bring it’s sub-compact Polo to the U.S. but not until 2011. Even more surprising is that the vehicle won’t be the same one that was just unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show.

That’s right, VW will be getting into the ultra-competitive sub-compact segment in North America with the new VW Polo.