Uitenhage – From report manufacturing volumes to sturdy export efficiency, Volkswagen Group Africa’s (VWGA) first 12 months because the Home of Polo has been a 12 months of feat.
Though VWGA’s Plant Kariega has been constructing the favored Polo since 1996 and the Polo Vivo since 2010, it has solely been the self-proclaimed Home of Polo since 1 July 2024.
This was when the plant in Uitenhage, Eastern Cape, grew to become the only exporter (for left- and right-hand drive European and Asia-Pacific markets) of the Polo within the Volkswagen Group, sending this hatchback to 38 markets all over the world.
In reality, Polos account for 88% of exported automobiles by the Port of Port Elizabeth.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, 119,336 Polos have been exported from Kariega to Europe and the Asia-Pacific area.
Of these, the largest receivers of Polos are Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. On high of this, the Polo was South Africa’s most exported automobile in 2024.
During this identical 12-month interval, the plant celebrated a report manufacturing quantity.
A complete of 167,084 automobiles have been inbuilt Kariega in 2024, of which 131,485 models have been Polos for export, and 35 599 automobiles have been Polos and Polo Vivos for the native market. A record-breaking 13 930 Polos have been inbuilt October 2024 alone.
The Polo additionally carried out strongly within the native market final 12 months, promoting 12 253 models and being named the Top Locally Manufactured Vehicle of the Year on the Naamsa Accelerator Awards in October 2024.
“The Polo is certainly an icon, and we’re proud to name Plant Kariega its dwelling,” mentioned Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWGA.
“Our first 12 months as the only exporter of the Polo was definitely a powerful one, and we plan to construct on the muse of this success constantly and constantly, with the Polo, Vivo, and our upcoming third mannequin, the Tengo.”
*This article first appeared in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
