100 000th Polo for local market comes off the line

The Kariega plant of Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) kicked off March by reaching yet another milestone: the 100 000th unit of the current Polo for the local market.

VWSA Production Director Ulrich Schwabe and Sales and Marketing Director Thomas Milz celebrating the 100 000th Polo 29

This special milestone vehicle rolled off the production line on 1 March during the night shift.

The Kariega plant has been building the current Polo since January 2018 and began production of the facelifted Polo in August 2021. Of the 100 000 vehicles, 80 644 were pre-facelift Polos and the remaining 19 356 were facelift Polo models.

VWSA Production Director Ulrich Schwabe and Sales and Marketing Director Thomas Milz celebrating the 100 000th Polo for the local market, in the vehicle shipping yard.

VWSA celebrated several Polo milestones in 2022, reaching its one-millionth Polo built for export in May 2022, the 500 000th Polo (including the facelift and the model launched in 2018) in July 2022, and the 100 000th facelift Polo produced in August 2022. More recently, the company celebrated two million units of its popular Polos and Polo Vivos in November 2022.

VWSA currently builds the Polo Vivo for the local market, and the Polo for all right-hand-drive markets and certain left-hand-drive markets. The Kariega plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI.

“Though the majority of our Polos are built for export markets, we are incredibly proud of how popular this vehicle is among South African customers,” said Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWSA. “This includes our employees, who build these high-quality vehicles with pride and whose dedication and love for our vehicles have made this milestone possible.”

More Industry News stories

Isuzu’s ambitious plans for truck manufacturing in South Africa

Isuzu’s ambitious plans for truck manufacturing in South Africa

Isuzu Motors South Africa is positioning itself to become the primary manufacturing centre for commercial trucks across the African continent, a strategic move that could significantly boost production volumes while increasing the use of locally sourced components.

  • 21 August 2025
Kiara driving change, one pink truck at a time

Kiara driving change, one pink truck at a time

In a move that’s turning heads across the transport industry, Kiara Baijnath (photo), the founder and director of HerWay Logistics, is redefining what it means to be a woman in trucking by adding another pink Mercedes-Benz Actros 2645 to her fleet.

  • 21 August 2025