
VW South Africa has a big year planned with the launch of at least seven new models.
This includes the highly-anticipated Amarok bakkie and Golf R hot hatch, as well as updated versions of existing favourites such as the Polo Vivo GT and Touareg.
VW in 2022
VW experienced strong sales in the local market in 2022, securing a 16.4% share with a total of 63,601 models delivered to the hands of new owners.
Of these sales, the passenger-car segment accounted for 58,447 units whereas the remaining 5,154 came from the commercial side of the business.
As popular as ever, the Polo Vivo was the brand’s best-selling model with 20,866 units moved, followed by the Polo with 15,697 units, and the T-Cross in third at 10,384 units.
Other standout performers included the Tiguan (2,613 units), the T-Roc (2,407 units), the Amarok (1,896 units), and the Taigo (1,885 units).
Despite severe stock and parts shortages, the Golf GTI also improved sales by 109% in 2022 with a total of 639 examples making their way off showroom floors.
VWs on the way to South Africa in 2023
Volkswagen’s local subsidiary confirmed that in the first quarter of 2023, the manufacturer is launching the next-generation Amarok, eighth-generation Golf R, and an upgraded Polo Vivo GT.
The Amarok will be available in five specifications when it lands in local dealerships comprising Base, Life, Style, Aventura, and PanAmericana, with three turbo-diesel engines on offer producing 110kW, 155kW, or 184kW.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Golf R is debuting in one configuration boasting a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol powerplant capable of 225kW and 400Nm, sending the potent hatch to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds.
The Polo Vivo GT is also due for an upgrade after being on sale since 2018 and its spec sheet remaining unchanged during this time, though no details about the enhancements have yet been revealed.
Onto the second quarter, the popular Tiguan range which is only offered in petrol at the moment will gain a turbo-diesel engine option. We expect this to be the same 2.0-litre unit that already does duty in vehicles including the Caddy and Kombi where it generates between 81-110kW.
A T-Cross Trendline specification will also be added to the line-up, and judging from previous model designations used by the manufacturer, the Trendline will likely become the new entry-level model in the range offering a friendlier starting price than the R393,400 the crossover is selling for right now.
VW then has nothing planned for the three months between July and September, however, its calendar will be busy once again from October to December.
During this time, VW has scheduled the debut of a turbo-petrol Polo Sedan, which is currently only offered with a naturally-aspirated engine, as well as a facelifted model of the company’s flagship SUV, the Touareg, which also came to market in 2018 and has remained untouched since.
Find below a summary of all the new VW introductions that will take place in South Africa in 2023.