Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) on September 6 marked a historic milestone when it produced the 200 000th unit of the current Volkswagen Polo at the Uitenhage plant, in the Eastern Cape.
The VWSA production plant has been manufacturing Polos since 1996, when it started local production on the Polo Classic. Over the past 23 years, it has produced various Polo models, with local production of the current Polo model having started in 2018.
Of the 200 000 new Polos that have been manufactured, 153 582 units were exported and 46 418 were produced for the domestic market.
In total, Volkswagen has manufactured 1 053 600 vehicles for export since 1994.
The plant manufactured 110 265 vehicles between January and August, which includes the Polo, Polo Vivo and Polo GTI.
The new Polo is exported to all right-hand-drive markets worldwide, with the Uitenhage plant also supplementing production of left-hand-drive Polos for European markets.
This milestone comes in the same month that VWSA was named Exporter of the Year by Exporters Eastern Cape – an award the company has won three times.
“This milestone could not have been achieved without the dedication of our employees,” commented VWSA chairperson and MD Thomas Schaefer.
“Our success, both locally and overseas, benefits our workforce and the local economy. We intend to keep achieving these milestones and contributing to the economy of Nelson Mandela Bay.”