Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has appointed a new production director with extensive experience at the company’s other facilities to its Polo factory in Kariega in the Eastern Cape.
The carmaker announced this week that Marc Stephan joined VWGA on 1 August 2026, succeeding Ulrich Schwabe, who led production at Kariega from April 2021 to July 2026.
Marc joined VWGA from the VW plant in Zwickau, Germany, where he served as head of production.
He was instrumental in the plant’s transformation to the VW Group’s first fully electric manufacturing facility, producing models like the VW ID.3 and ID.4, the Audi Q4 e-tron, and the Cupra Born.
During his career, Marc has held numerous positions at the brand’s other factories around the world, including its Wolfsburg plant in Germany, its Chattanooga plant in Tennessee, United States, and its Pamplona plant in Spain.
He holds a degree in Engineering and Economics and brings more than 20 years of experience from the Volkswagen Group to its African division.
Notably, Marc will oversee the Kariega plant, which currently produces the Polo and Polo Vivo hatchbacks, as it expands its operations to add another vehicle, the Tengo crossover.
“With joining VWGA, he now takes on the important responsibility of leading production operations through the successful start of production of the Tengo (Volkswagen’s third model to be built at Plant Kariega), developing the plant for future models, and further expanding Volkswagen’s African production network,” said the automaker.
The Tengo is the local name for the Tera, a small VW crossover built in Brazil. VWGA has elected to produce the Tengo in the Eastern Cape to introduce a more affordable alternative to the T-Cross, which is currently its cheapest SUV at R399,900.
It remains to be seen if Marc will also push for an electrification strategy in South Africa as VW’s other factories pivot to its electric ID. series.
“On behalf of the Board of Management, I would like to thank Ulrich Schwabe for his dedicated service and significant contribution to Volkswagen Group Africa,” said Martina Biene, VWGA Chairperson and Managing Director.
“Uli played a pivotal role in expanding our manufacturing footprint across Africa and bolstering our environmental sustainability initiatives. Under his leadership, Plant Kariega also achieved a record production volume of 167 084 vehicles in 2024.”
“I also want to extend a warm welcome to Marc, who we believe will lead our production teams into our Tengo chapter and beyond. I am excited to see how his expertise will progress VWGA’s production capabilities to the next level,” she said.
Loading ...
