VW has announced that it will halt assembly of the popular Polo and Polo Vivo from 14 April to 12 May 2025 to allow for upgrades to its Kariega, Eastern Cape factory.
The work required includes enhancements in areas such as the Body Shop, Paint Shop, and Final Assembly in preparation for the new A0 SUV that will enter production at the facility in 2027.
“The planned work builds on the foundation of the installations performed in December 2024 during the plant’s annual shutdown,” said VW Group Africa (VWGA) Production Director, Ulrich Schwabe.
“Approximately 60% of the required changes were effected over the 25 days of shutdown, including the installation of 38 new fixtures and seven new robots, along with other modifications.”
The remaining 40% will be tended to over the coming four weeks.
It will include finalising all installations completed in the Body Shop, station modifications and the programming of robots in the Paint Shop, and modifying conveyors in the Final Assembly, among other tasks.
“The completion of this work will also mark the start of the commissioning phase of the A0 SUV Entry project,” said Schwabe.
The preparations for the new SUV extend beyond production as well.
The VWGA procurement team has completed the nominations of suppliers, in line with the localisation targets set for the new model’s parts.
Meanwhile, the product development division is collaborating with colleagues at VW Brazil to develop the vehicle, with a VWGA employee stationed at the VW plant in São Bernardo do Campo as Technical Project Leader.
You choose
The new SUV on its way to the VWGA plant was recently unwrapped in Brazil as the Tera.
The Tera is the company’s big bet to regain market share in the entry-level segment, which it has been steadily losing to cheaper models from Asian brands in recent years.
It’s based on the evergreen Polo and will slot in below the imported T-Cross in terms of dimensions and price.
VW previously confirmed that the Tera will be equipped with a 1.0-litre petrol (TSI) engine but didn’t reveal which version.
Between the Polo and T-Cross there are two options of this driveline, either generating 70kW and 175Nm or a higher 85kW and 200Nm.
The lesser powerful version is the likeliest of bets when considering the Tera’s positioning in the VW portfolio, but there’s also a chance that the 85kW mill could feature in the pricier models, similar to the Polo.
Expect a five-speed manual transmission in the base entries and a six- or seven-speed auto higher up in the range.
What’s more, the Tera will not be called the Tera once it arrives in South Africa.
VWGA will soon be issuing an invitation to customers across the African continent to help it select the name of this new model, the company said.
Whether they’ll be able to choose their own, or select between a pre-approved selection of badges, remains unclear.
Considering VW tends to call all its SUVs something that starts with a T – T-Cross, T-Roc, Taigo, Tiguan, Touareg – we suspect that it will be the latter.
“This project is understandably a very exciting one for us,” said Schwabe.
“When the first unit of this new vehicle rolls off our production line, it will be a proud moment for the entire Volkswagen Group Africa family, and I firmly believe this new vehicle will be just as iconic as the beloved Polo and Vivo we are already building.”
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