Volkswagen reveals "finetuning" upgrades for 2016 World Rally Car

The car, which has won 34 of the last 39 world rallies, will feature a strengthened front subframe with further strength also being built into the rear wishbones.

VW is running a virtually identical engine to last year, with the only modification being to the pistons.

"We are about to defend our world championship title for the third time in a row," said Volkswagen Motorsport director Jost Capito.

"The opposition has not been sleeping, and has modified its cars for the new season. So have we, of course.

"The changes to the Polo R WRC are basically finetuning and detailed improvements to make the world championship-winning car even better.

"You have to bear in mind that the regulations in the World Rally Championship only allow for a few modifications within a homologation period.

"Thanks to this stability, it is possible to challenge for the title for several years with an existing car, making only detailed improvements. That is precisely our goal for 2016."

VW revealed its 2016 livery on Wednesday, featuring a whiter, bolder design at the front of the Polo.

Hyundai is the team with the biggest changes this year. The New Generation i20 WRC is a completely new car compared to 2015.

M-Sport introduced a raft of improvements to its Ford Fiesta RS WRC mid-way through last season and will continue to evolve the car as the year plays out.

The Citroen will, however, not undergo any development for the year ahead.

Contesting between six and 10 WRC rounds under the Abi Dhabi Total World Rally Team banner, the PH Sport-run DS 3 WRCs start this season as they finished Wales Rally GB two months ago.