VW Polos everywhere you look – How many have been built for South Africa in the last 5 years

The VW Polo is one of the most common sights on the road in South Africa, and it’s not hard to see why.

That’s because a staggering 100,000 current-generation Polos have been built specifically for local customers by VW at its Eastern Cape plant in the last five years

Production of the latest-gen hatch began at the plant in 2018, in which time the carmaker was able to produce a grand total of 80,644 units for South African showrooms.

Following the facelifted Polo’s introduction in 2021, a further 19,356 have been made – resulting in the incredible 100,000-unit milestone that the company is celebrating this month.

The 100,000th example rolled off the production line during the night shift on the evening of 1 March, said the manufacturer.

The German car firm also celebrated other landmark achievements with its Polo production line last year, such as the 1-millionth car made for export in May 2022.

It also marked the creation of 2 million units overall in November 2022.

A local hit

The VW Polo is a consistent entry in the list of best-selling cars every month in South Africa, with an average sale count of roughly 1,000 units.

The nameplate has been around for decades, as local construction of the car dates back all the way to 1996, and to this day Kariega is one of only two plants in the world that produces the range.

Consequently, the small VW is one of the country’s top export models, alongside the likes of the BMW X3, Ford Ranger, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Toyota Hilux.

“Though the majority of our Polos are built for export markets, we are incredibly proud of how popular this vehicle is among South African customers,” said Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWSA.

The South African factory also produces the more affordable Polo Vivo model specifically for the local car scene, and it is also the sole maker of the Polo GTI for markets around the world.