Local Volkswagen Polo production has hit another milestone, with the exportation of the 500 000th unit from the Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape.
More records
Soon to celebrate its 75th anniversary in South Africa, the brand confirmed that a Crystal Ice Blue Polo, bound for the United Kingdom, became the half-millionth export market-bound model to leave the facility.
Since the start of production in 1996 at the plant in the town formerly known as Uitenhage, 2 044 761 Polos have been produced.
Of these, 596 631 were for South Africa, with the remaining 1 448 130 being for export markets.
Exclusively made in South Africa
In total, the locally assembled Polo is exported to 38 markets, the biggest being Germany, followed by the United Kingdom.
As is well-known by now, South Africa has been the sole production facility for the Polo since 2024 where a total of three days and 1 985 sets of hands are needed to assemble a single model.
Despite the imminent arrival of the all-electric ID. Polo, the combustion engine variant, will remain in production beyond 2030.
Before this, it will receive a second round of updates, building on the revisions applied back in 2021.
Despite entering its 10th year of production in 2026, the mid-cycle refresh from five years ago now accounts for it being the most exported generation over the last three decades, with an offset of 51.2%.
Back in 2024, the plant bettered its own yearly record set in 2019, when it produced 167 084 vehicles in a single year. Of these, 131 485 were Polos.
“Reaching the milestone of producing the 500 000th current generation Polo is a proud moment for our production and logistics team,” Volkswagen Group Africa Production Director, Ulrich Schwabe, said in a statement.
“This milestone shows the hard work, skill, and dedication of every employee at Plant Kariega. Our people have dedicated three decades to building and delivering this beloved vehicle to our customers, and these teams are the reason the Polo continues to shine, both here at home and across the world”.
Tengo next
Aside from the Polo, the facility also produces the Polo Vivo and, from early next year, the Tengo, which will go on sale soon after as the South Africanised version of the Tera that debuted last year in Brazil.
