Since opening its doors in 1996, the VW assembly plant in Uitenhage has produced over 4,181,031 Polo cars.
The company announced this impressive figure when it celebrated the momentous milestone of producing the 1-millionth Polo for export in May, after it started to build models for export in 2002.
“By the time the 1-millionth export Polo rolled off the line on 3 May, the plant had manufactured a total of 4,181,031 vehicles to date, of which 1,292,793 vehicles were built for export,” said VW South Africa (VWSA).
The Kariega plant has been building Polos since day one and currently exports these vehicles to 38 countries comprising all right-hand-drive markets and supplementing production for left-hand-drive regions.
“The Kariega plant is also the sole manufacturer worldwide of the Polo GTI, and builds the popular Polo Vivo for the local market,” said VWSA.
“VWSA is the biggest private employer in Nelson Mandela Bay and a significant player when it comes to exports from this region.”
“Given the current climate, with the pandemic and the semi-conductor crisis, this milestone is an especially strong moment for VWSA,” it said.
Popular as ever
The VW Polo range has been a popular choice for South African car buyers for a long time.
In terms of sales, these cars oftentimes sit at or near the top of their respective segments
The VW Group – which includes Audi – sold a total of 5,084 units in April 2022, totaling roughly one-seventh of the 37,107 cars sold across the entire industry during this period.
Of these sales, the Polo range accounted for the following:
- VW Polo – 1,320 units
- VW Polo Sedan – 558 units
- VW Polo Vivo – 1,547 units
This means that these three vehicles were responsible for 67% of VW Group’s total sales in April, despite VW and Audi having a combined 37 models on offer across the passenger and commercial vehicle segments.
Additionally, the VW Group exported 8,349 cars last month, making it the largest automaker by exports in South Africa, followed by Mercedes-Benz and then BMW.
Keyword: How many VW Polos have been built in South Africa