VW’s assembly plant in Kariega has reopened its free factory tours to the public after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 lockdowns.
During this downtime, the tours were reinvented to offer a new experience for visitors and they have already begun operating again on 21 June.
Thus far, VW Kariega’s revitalised factory excursions have welcomed over 921 visitors in just over a month.
“In its new form, the tours include a completely reworked script showcasing the most exciting elements of Volkswagen’s world-class factory, including the production process that combines the efficiency of high-tech robots and the expertise of our production employees,” said the manufacturer.
“All tours are conducted on an open-top FactoryTours train that can accommodate 21 people, with plans to increase the tour capacity in the near future.”
Also open to the public is the AutoPavilion museum which hosted 34,314 visitors in 2019, over a third of which participated in a factory tour.
“The museum boasts a variety of unique exhibitions, from the Meet the Freaks display that includes the weird and wonderful elements of Volkswagen history, to the 70 Years exhibition with prominent vehicles from Volkswagen’s seven decades in Kariega,” said VW.
VW Kariega’s factory tours are free of charge and run from 09h00-12h00 on weekdays for visitors aged 8 years or older.
To join, interested individuals can contact the AutoPavilion at 041 994 5941 or [email protected] to book their space.
Get to see how the Polo is made
VW’s assembly plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape first started operations over 70 years ago and is currently building the popular Polo and Polo Vivo models.
The factory tours will allow visitors a closer look at how these hatchbacks are made using state-of-the-art equipment, including a press shop that was installed in 2011 and which at the time was the first of its kind in the world to use both wave motion and robotic arm technologies.
By May 2022, the factory had already produced over 4,181,031 units of the Polo, over one million of those being destined for export.
This particular location is also the only manufacturer of right-hand-drive specifications for all right-hand-drive countries to which the Polo is exported, as well as the sole producer of the Polo GTI worldwide.
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