Volkswagen’s factory in Kariega, Eastern Cape has officially become the sole producer of the popular Polo for the entire world.
This comes as the automaker ended production of the hatchback in Pamplona, Spain last week after a healthy 40 years and 8.4 million units.
The European plant will now be upgraded to start churning out affordable electric vehicles starting early 2026, comprising one Skoda and one VW model, as the automaker struggles to compete with rivals from China.
It will simultaneously continue assembling the VW T-Cross and Taigo until the end of their respective life cycles which are expected to fall within 2026 or 2027, Automotive News Europe reports.
A South African icon
VW South Africa (VWSA) confirmed in 2023 that it will boost production of the Polo to a record 163,000 units per annum following the end of production at Pamplona, approximately 70% of which will be exported to right and left-hand-drive markets.
The hatch will be assembled on South African soil alongside its more affordable sibling, the Polo Vivo, for as long as there is sufficient demand for these vehicles from local and international buyers, said VWSA.
Considering these models have sat atop the country’s best-seller charts for decades, it should mean that their futures are assured for quite some time despite a looming ban on the sale of petrol and diesel autos in the European Union.
VW’s local factory will become even more important for the German automaker over the coming years as the developed world moves away from internal-combustion technologies.
VWSA announced earlier this year that the Kariega facility will start assembling a new budget SUV come late 2026/early 2027 primarily for export to the African continent.
It will be underpinned by the same foundation as the Polo Vivo and subsequently compete in the A0-SUV segment which is steadily heating up with the introduction of wallet-friendly models like the new Hyundai Exter.
It is banking on the crossover to claw back market share that the company has lost in recent years owing to the ballooning prices of its vehicles.
Details are still thin on the ground, though VWSA recently hinted that along with the chassis, the new crossover will likely share powertrains with the Vivo.
Prospective customers can therefore expect one of three petrol engines comprising a 1.4-litre with either 55kW/130Nm or 63kW/132Nm, a 1.6-litre good for 77kW/153Nm, or a 1.0-litre turbo that churns out 81kW/200Nm.
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