Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has reached a production milestone at its Kariega plant, where the 1-millionth current-generation Polo Mk6 has rolled off the assembly line.
The vehicle is a Smoky Grey GTI variant destined for the South African market.
VWGA began producing the sixth-generation Polo in Kariega in 2017. Since then, about 86% of production has been exported to markets including Germany, the UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, with the remaining 14% sold locally.
The current-generation Polo accounts for nearly 21% of the 4.8-million vehicles built at the Eastern Cape facility over the past 75 years. It also represents 48% of all Polo models produced at the plant since the nameplate entered local production.
Volkswagen has been manufacturing the Polo in South Africa since 1996 and has built four generations of the hatchback at Kariega.
The plant is the sole global production hub for the Polo and exports the model to 38 countries across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Germany and the UK remain the largest export markets for the locally built vehicle.
The latest milestone comes as VWGA marks 75 years of vehicle production in South Africa and 30 years of Polo manufacturing at the Kariega facility.
“This milestone is a proud moment for all of us at Volkswagen Group Africa and reflects the dedication and passion of our employees over many years,” said VWGA production director Urich Schwabe.
“Producing 1-million Polos in Kariega highlights the trust global markets place in the quality of vehicles built in South Africa. It also reinforces the Polo’s legacy as one of the most loved and successful models produced at our plant.”
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