The first generation Polo was an Audi design and was introduced in 1975. It was manufactured at the VW plant in Wolfsburg and sold as both the Polo and as the Audi 50 in certain territories. A revised model version was introduced in 1981, and continued until 1994, when an all new design was launched.

The Polo is the second smallest model in the current VW range, larger than the VW Lupo and smaller than the VW Golf. It is currently mechanically very similar to the SEAT Ibiza and Skoda Fabia, being based on a standard VAG group chassis used for a large number of models. The SEAT Ibiza has been sold in South Africa as the VW Polo Playa.

Previous sedan and wagon versions (Polo Classic and Polo Variant) have been based on the SEAT Cordoba.