Production of the new-look Polo has started at Volkswagen’s manufacturing plant in Kariega.
Vehicle models typically receive a makeover in the middle of their life cycle.
The Volkswagen manufacturing plant is currently operating on three shifts to build the new Polo (including the Polo GTI) for local and international markets.
The first consignment of new Polos left the Volkswagen manufacturing plant at the end of August.
The vehicles will be shipped to overseas markets from the Gqeberha harbour.
The Volkswagen Polo is currently manufactured in Brazil, China, Spain and South Africa.
Polos built in Kariega are exported to all right-hand-drive markets worldwide and Volkswagen also supplements production for left-hand-drive markets.
The Kariega facility is also the sole manufacturer of the Polo GTI.
The Volkswagen Polo was first launched in South Africa in October 1996.
Since the sixth-generation Volkswagen Polo was introduced on the local market in January 2018, more than 400 000 units have been manufactured at the Kariega plant, with more than 326 000 units (over 80% of the total volume) being exported to international markets.
In the three years since the sixth generation of the hatchback was launched in the local market, it has sold a total of 73 439 units.
“The Volkswagen Polo is the second best-selling passenger vehicle in South Africa (after the Polo Vivo) and an important derivative for our brand,” says Volkswagen Group of South Africa Passenger Cars brand head Steffen Knapp.
“In 2021 alone, we have sold over 10 000 Polos in the local market, giving Volkswagen a share of 21.8% in the A0 Hatch segment.”
The new Volkswagen Polo will retail from local Volkswagen dealers in the first quarter of 2022.