Virtual racing in the VW Polo

Race the new VW Polo in a game for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

(Credit: Fish Labs)

To help sell the new Volkswagen Polo, launched at the Geneva auto show, Volkswagen is also launching, in conjunction with partner Fish Labs, a Polo racing game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Like the Audi A4 racing game launched last year, the Polo game takes advantage of the accelerometer in the iPhone and iPod Touch, letting you control your car by tilting the devices. Unlike that earlier game, the Polo game is in 3D.

The actual new Polo was launched at the 2009 Geneva auto show.

(Credit: CNET)

The object of the game is to post winning times on all eight tracks. Each successive track is unlocked by a win on the current track, but the difficulty increases on each track. A soundtrack for the game is provided by German rock band Feinkost.

During our brief time with a prototype of the game, we thrashed around tilting this way and that trying to control the car, then settled down to the lighter touch required by the game.

The fifth generation of the actual Polo was just launched at the Geneva auto show. The new version of the car refines a popular compact and practical vehicle for the European market, and offers five engine choices, along with a seven-speed dual-clutch manual transmission.

The Polo racing game will be available from the iTunes store in mid-March.

See more coverage of the 2009 Geneva auto show.