Automotive manufacturer Volkswagen South Africa's (VWSA's) Kariega plant built the 100 000th unit of the current Polo for the local market on March 1.
The Kariega plant has been building the current Polo since January 2018 and began production of the facelifted Polo in August 2021. Of the 100 000 vehicles, 80 644 were pre-facelift Polos and the remaining 19 356 were facelift Polo models.
The special milestone vehicle rolled off the production line on March 1 during the night shift.
“Though the majority of our Polos are built for export markets, we are incredibly proud of how popular this vehicle is among South African customers,” said VWSA production director Ulrich Schwabe.
“This includes our employees, who build these high-quality vehicles with pride, and whose dedication and love for our vehicles has made this milestone possible,” he said.
VWSA currently builds the Polo Vivo for the local market, and the Polo for all right-hand-drive markets and certain left-hand-drive markets. The Kariega plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI.
VWSA also reached its one-millionth Polo built for export in May 2022, and the 100 000th facelift Polo produced in August 2022. The company celebrated two-million units of its popular Polos and Polo Vivos in November 2022, VWSA said.