Volkswagen's 1.5-millionth vehicle exported from South Africa
Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) this week celebrated building the 1.5-millionth vehicle built at the Kariega plant for the export market.
The milestone vehicle, a Polo GTI destined for the UK, also marked the 21 165th vehicle built for export this year.
The Kariega plant assembled 101 557 Polos for export last year.
The plant’s record for export units in one year was in 2019, when the team built 108 422 vehicles for export markets.
VWA has been building vehicles for export since 1992, including models such as the Jetta and Golf.
Currently the Kariega plant is the sole manufacturer of the Polo, exporting this vehicle to 38 markets worldwide.
The plant has been building the current Polo since January 2018 and began production of the facelifted Polo in August 2021.
It also produces the popular Polo Vivo for the South African market.
“Celebrating another production milestone this early in the year sets the tone for a successful 2024,” says VWA production director Ulrich Schwabe.
“Volkswagen Group Africa remains a strong player in the export space and I am proud of the team behind milestones such as these.”