Celebrating the past, present and future of Polo, the Volkswagen brand released the spectacular “50 Years of Polo: Project Drift” video on its social media channels.
The video, celebrating five decades of the iconic Polo and its various iterations, was shot in and around Nelson Mandela Bay – including, of course, Plant Kariega, the Home of Polo itself.
Opening with scenes from the Port of Gqeberha and featuring a high-speed tour of the Volkswagen plant, the video shows off various Polo models, including the Polo R WRC, the Polo R Supercar in Harlequin livery selected by fans, the electric Polo RX1e, and even the Polo GTI, which is only built in South Africa.
Finally, the video features a surprise guest: the ID. Polo, a near-production concept car that will be the latest electric member of the Polo family. The ID. Polo will make its public debut at IAA Mobility in Munich this week.
“In our communications on the Polo anniversary, we not only want to look back, but forward too and generate enthusiasm for the Volkswagen brand. That’s why we deliberately decided to showcase the ID. Polo’s first appearance in a spectacular and surprising way.
This video stands for everything that is quintessential of the Polo: a small car that can do great things and that is geared towards the future,” says Jens Katemann, Head of Communications for the Volkswagen Brand and Brand Group Core.
In the fast-paced video, Sweden’s Johan Kristoffersson sits at the wheel and you can immediately see that spectacular manoeuvres are his forte: the seven-time FIA World Rallycross Champion and two-time Gymkhana Grid Champion skilfully steers the powerful all-wheel-drive vehicles in precise drifts in a wide variety of situations.
“The shoot was a huge pleasure for me. It was a great experience to drive the sporty Polo models one after the other and push them to their limits – their characters are different, but they all performed equally well,” says Johan Kristoffersson, currently top driver in the FIA World Rallycross Championship,” he says.
The shooting locations were not chosen at random: Plant Kariega has been the home of the Polo since July 2024, solely responsible for exporting the Polo to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. This plant has been building the popular Polo since 1996.
“It was an honour for Plant Kariega to be showcased in this globally released video commemorating the history and future of the Polo,” says Andile Dlamini, Head: Group Communications at Volkswagen Group Africa. “We are proud to be such a big part of the Polo success story, and this video is a great source of excitement for the employees who build and sell these cars. A special thanks is also due to Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), without whose support the thrilling opening scenes of this video would not have been possible.”
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Volvo has confirmed that its vehicles will now integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence system. This development builds on the company’s existing collaboration with Google, which already provides Android Automotive OS and Google services in Volvo models.
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Volvo has confirmed that its vehicles will now integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence system. This development builds on the company’s existing collaboration with Google, which already provides Android Automotive OS and Google services in Volvo models.
New vehicle sales in 2026 continued their positive trend in April, with the 47 979 units sold marking the best April figure since 2013. This represents a remarkable performance by local automotive retailers despite a host of economic headwinds and a challenging trading environment.
April 2026 marked a turning point in South Africa’s economic landscape, as global energy markets were jolted by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, according to naamsa | The Automotive Business Council.
