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- Product News
- 9 October 2025
The employees of Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) recently celebrated a significant milestone, as a smoky grey Polo Vivo became the 3-millionth car built for the South African market at Plant Kariega.
Though VWGA marks its birthday as 31 August 1951, the date on which the first Volkswagen (a Beetle) rolled off the production line, Plant Kariega has actually been manufacturing vehicles since November 1948. Under the umbrella of SAMAD (South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors), selected Studebaker and Austin models were built here before the first Volkswagens were added to the production line-up.
The three million vehicles built to date also include:
The milestone underlines the contribution of the Volkswagen plant to the local automotive market and economy. The plant currently builds the Polo, which is sold locally and was also the car most exported from South Africa in 2024, while the proudly South African Vivo has been the best-selling passenger car in the country since 2010. Both models were also honoured at the Naamsa Accelerator Awards held last weekend.
“This milestone affirms Volkswagen’s legacy in Kariega and the South African market at large,” says Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWGA. “This plant has produced many icons over the past seven decades, including the Beetle, the Citi Golf and now the Vivo, and we intend to make our Tengo the next icon when we start manufacturing it in Kariega from 2027,” he says.
South Africa’s automotive industry is entering new territory. Under pressure to localise, modernise and transition to a more sustainable and globally competitive future, the focus is shifting towards partnerships as the engine of growth and resilience.
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) has dismissed the National Credit Regulator’s (NCR) appeal in a high-profile dispute with the finance arms of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen over the treatment of so-called “on-the-road” (OTR) fees in vehicle finance agreements.
South Africa’s automotive sector arrived at the recent South African Auto Week 2025 in Gqeberha with a renewed sense of optimism, backed by clear signs of recovery, reports Ecofin Agency.