Volkswagen has started testing its all-new Polo R WRC in its full and final 2017 trim, before its specification is submitted to the FIA next month.The World Rally Championship car is now running an all-new aerodynamic package, which bears little resemblance to what has been seen during its development so...

Sven Smeets has been announced as McLaren Formula 1 signing Jost Capito's successor as Volkswagen Motorsport director and head of its World Rally Championship effort.Former co-driver Smeets moved from Citroen to Volkswagen when the German team began its WRC program in 2012. Having worked initially as team manager, he was...

Volkswagen will finalize the specification of its Polo R for the World Rally Championship's 2017 rules revamp by the end of this month.The German firm has just concluded its latest round of testing with the new car and technical director Francois-Xavier Demaison said it was now in the final development...

Marcus Gronholm drove Volkswagen's 2017 Polo R WRC mule for three days on asphalt in France last week. The Finn was testing in classic Monte Carlo stages around Roquesteron and Col de Bleine in the German firm's first asphalt development running of its next-generation machine.Volkswagen's technical project leader Francois-Xavier Demaison...

Volkswagen technical chief Francois-Xavier Demaison says he is "more nervous" about the 2015 iteration of the all-conquering World Rally Championship Polo than its predecessors as expectations are so high.VW has won 21 of the 25 WRC rallies it has contested since beginning the Polo program, only losing once this season....

A radical overhaul of safety in World Rally Cars will be incorporated into new technical regulations for 2017.There are concerns from some in the WRC that safety measures have not moved on sufficiently from the accident that killed Michael Park nine years ago. Co-driver Park died when Markko Martin's Peugeot...

Sebastien Ogier will not rejoin Rally Germany for the final day as his Volkswagen sustained rollcage damage in his Saturday crash.The reigning World Rally champion crashed heavily on leg two's second stage, having already retired from Friday when he went off the road on SS6. Ogier and his co-driver Julien...