Despite international challenges for vehicle manufacturers, the 100 000th facelifted Polo rolled off the assembly line at Volkswagen’s plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape.
The Kariega plant, which has been building the Polo since 2018, began production of the facelifted Polo on 16 August 2021 – which means the plant manufactured 100 000 Polos in just over 12 years.
The special 100 000th vehicle, a white left-hand-drive Polo GTI destined for Germany, marked the 74 688th Polo built this year. Of the 100 000 vehicles, 88 163 Polos were exported to 38 countries, while 11 837 Polos were delivered to the South African market.
VWSA has already celebrated multiple milestones around the Polo this year, reaching its 1-millionth Polo built for export in May, and the 500 000th Polo (including the facelift and the model launched in 2018) in July.
VWSA currently builds this vehicle for all right-hand-drive markets and supplements production for left-hand-drive markets. It is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI.
“To reach this milestone under normal circumstances is an achievement; to do so under the difficult circumstances of the last year are an absolute testament to the dedication and perseverance of the VWSA team,” said Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWSA.
“I am proud of every employee who has contributed to this achievement, and I look forward to celebrating many more milestones with the VWSA family,” he concluded.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) announced its participation in the sixth annual Smarter Mobility Africa summit, which kicked of 1 October and continues till the 4 October at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s first electric minibus taxi model, the eKamva, was launched by a consortium led by GoMetro, alongside an integrated new electric vehicle (EV) business model and charging infrastructure product called flx EV at the Smarter Mobility Africa summit.
A modest increase in passenger car sales in an overall market that continued its downward trend in September 2024 offered hope that the market may be slowly turning, says National Automobile Dealers Association (Nada) national chairperson, Brandon Cohen.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I always do like seeing other people dance in their cars. It's one of the things that makes me happy.
Ariel Gore
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) announced its participation in the sixth annual Smarter Mobility Africa summit, which kicked of 1 October and continues till the 4 October at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
A modest increase in passenger car sales in an overall market that continued its downward trend in September 2024 offered hope that the market may be slowly turning, says National Automobile Dealers Association (Nada) national chairperson, Brandon Cohen.
The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), in partnership with the Toyota Wessels Institute of Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS), held a breakfast seminar for NAACAM members and key stakeholders from the public and private sector.
