Volkswagen Group South Africa’s (VWSA’s) Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape, on Tuesday celebrated the manufacturing of its 1.25-millionth Polo.
The milestone also marked 21 years of the production of Polo in South Africa.
The Uitenhage manufacturing facility produces Polos and Polo Vivos, sharing the honours between them since 2010 of having been the best-selling passenger car in South Africa.
The Polo is built for local and international markets, with the Polo Vivo sold in South Africa until December 2016.
As part of Volkswagen's Africa strategy, the first Polo Vivos were assembled and sold in Kenya, from kits supplied from Uitenhage, this year. Output will be around 1 000 units – in a new-car market of 3 000 units.
The German car manufacturer established Volkswagen Sub-Saharan Africa as a regional operation, aimed at developing and strengthening this market, as it comprises 49 countries and has a total population of nearly 920-million people.