The car was extremely successful from its début, winning 43 of the 53 rallies that it entered, and scoring 37 more podiums. Sébastien Ogier won 31 rallies and four consecutive FIA World Rally Championships for Drivers between 2013 and 2016,[5][6][7] whilst Volkswagen Motorsport secured the FIA World Rally Championship for Manufacturers in all four years.[8][9] The Polo R WRC was retired from competition at the end of the 2016 season when Volkswagen withdrew from the category.[10] A Polo built to Group R5 specifications was later commissioned for use in the World Rally Championship-2.[11]
