VW’s Rally Racer Is So Cute, So Mean

By Chuck Squatriglia
Article Source: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/vws-rally-racer-is-so-cute-so-mean/
Photo Source: Volkswagen

Volkswagen is returning to rallying with a pocket rocket that’s cuter than a puppy and meaner than a rabid mutt.

The German’s won’t compete in the World Rally Championship until 2013, but that didn’t keep them from unveiling a racing concept based on the Polo, a sweet subcompact VW won’t sell in the United States, dammit.

Given that the racer is still two years from competing, VW offered only the broadest description of what we’ll see in the Polo R WRC: an all-wheel-driver racer with a 1.6-liter four-cylinder putting down nearly 300 horsepower.

“Today is a great day for the WRC,” double world champion Carlos Sainz said, according to Autosport.com. “Tomorrow it’s Mini starting out in the WRC and today we have this big news from Volkswagen. This is one of the steps towards getting back to the really strong days of the WRC. VW has grown to become one of the strongest companies in the world and that this company has decided to come to the WRC is magnificent.

”VW campaigned rally cars through the 1980s and says new WRC rules limiting engine displacement to 1.6 liters and allowing turbochargers and direct injection encouraged its return.

“The new technical regulations of the World Rally Championship are an ideal fit for Volkswagen’s philosophy with respect to the development of production vehicles,” Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, who oversees development for VW, said in a statement. “Downsizing, high efficiency and reliability are top priorities for our customers. The timing of the WRC debut is optimal for Volkswagen.”

The company’s announcement that it is returning to the WRC follows its third consecutive victory at the grueling Dakar Rally.

The Otomotif College (TOC) Scores Top Marks In Department of Skills Development Audit

The Otomotif College (TOC) was awarded full 5 stars by the Department of Skills Development's (DSD) in its inaugural audit of 2011. CEO Adelaine Foo says, "TOC is very proud to be the only private college in the Klang Valley to be awarded 5 stars for its conduct of its 'Mekanik Kenderaan Motor' courses."

Under the audit, all 4369 accredited centres across the country offering the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia programme were rigourously tested and graded. The Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia courses are part of the Ministry of Human Resources efforts to increase skilled labour workforce to 40% by the year 2020. TOC offers the Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia Motor Vehicle Mechanic courses up to level 3.

TOC was rated 5 stars for its exemplary conduct for both the MEKANIK KENDERAAN MOTOR (P-115-1 and P-115-2) programs and 4 stars for its JURUTEKNIK KENDERAAN MOTOR (P-115-3 ) course . 5-star ratings are awarded for programs that grade 90 and above, and 4 stars for scores of 75-89. Each SKM course offered by the accredited facility is graded separately.

The criteria evaluated in the audit include quality of trainers and support staff, relevance of courses offered, quality of training equipment and facilities offered and effective management and resource usage.. Without a doubt, it's a tough requirement. But TOC's pool of dedicated instructors combined with cutting edge facilities and extensive motor pool and support staff was more than capable of meeting the challenge.

The Department of Skills Development's first-ever nationwide audit was carried out to assess Accredited Centres offering Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia (SKM) courses to ensure all centres are operating according to standardized procedures while offering courses that are relevant and run effectively.   Accredited Centres are ranked based to encourage centres to continuously strive for excellence.

When asked to comment about the award, CEO Ms. Adelaine Foo said "We are extremely excited that the Department Of Skills Development has come up with a measuring tool to assess the quality output of vocational education institutions. This will enable parents and students to choose their college wisely." Prior to the assessment, vocational education had no easy means of benchmarking, and one technical school could be indistinguishable from another.  Ms. Adelaine stresses furthermore that the consequences of wrong studying decisions is not immediately apparent. "It can be devastating for a student to discover he had made the wrong choice a year or two later, after completing his/her education," she says.

The audit results are available for public viewing at the Department of Skills Development website athttp://www.dsd.gov.my/star_rating/carian_negeri.php.