Bucket Seat: Plant Kariega celebrates a strong year as the Home of Polo

From record production volumes to strong export performance, Volkswagen Group Africa’s (VWGA) first year as the Home of Polo has been a year of achievement.

Though VWGA’s Plant Kariega has been building the popular Polo since 1996 and the Polo Vivo since 2010, it has only been the self-proclaimed Home of Polo since 1 July 2024. This was when the plant officially became the sole exporter (for left- and right-hand drive European and Asia-Pacific markets) of the Polo in the Volkswagen Group, sending this hatchback to 38 markets around the world.

In fact, Polos account for 88% of exported vehicles through the Port of Port Elizabeth. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 119 336 Polos have been exported from Kariega to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Of these, the biggest receivers of Polos are Germany, France and the United Kingdom. On top of this, the Polo was South Africa’s most exported vehicle in 2024.

During this same 12-month period, the plant celebrated a record production volume. A total of 167 084 vehicles were built in Kariega in 2024, of which 131 485 units were Polos for export, and 35 599 vehicles were Polos and Polo Vivos for the local market. A record-breaking 13 930 Polos were built in October 2024 alone.

The Polo also performed strongly in the local market last year, selling 12 253 units and being named the Top Locally Manufactured Vehicle of the Year at the Naamsa Accelerator Awards in October 2024.

“The Polo is unquestionably an icon, and we are proud to call Plant Kariega its home,” said Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWGA. “Our first year as the sole exporter of the Polo was certainly a strong one, and we plan to build on the foundation of this success continuously and consistently, with the Polo, Vivo and our upcoming third model, the Tengo.”

Bucket Seat: VWSA Indaba 2025

This week saw Volkswagen SA host their annual Indaba at their plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape, after a successful 2024 for the plant which saw them become the sole exporter of the popular Polo in Europe and Asia Pacific, this aided for a new record of 131 485 units exported from for the year. This couple with the enhancements done to the Polo Vivo put the plant in a strong position in the global Volkswagen plants. While facts and figures are always important to punt the companies local presence, we were more interested in seeing that new vehicles were in store for our shores for the 2025 year, and we were not disappointed. 

Starting off with a question most journalists have been asked for the past 2 years, will we see a non performance version of the Golf 8? Well, no but we will see the introduction of the entry level Golf 8.5! Yes, VWSA are finally bringing the 1.4TSI 110kW TSI engine version of its popular Golf model to the country. The new Golf generation being with it a large infotainment system, more intuitive operating concept, a sharper front and rear end design as well as efficient drive systems. The revamp in design make it stand out more than the Golf 8 and with options of packages ranging from Life, Life+, R-Line and R-line+, there is enough variety to spec your Golf 8.5 TSI to your preferences. While VWSA did have an 8.5 GTI on display, there was no indication on whether that would be hitting the roads as well. 

Next up is an SUV which borrows a lot from the newly introduced Tiguan, is the VW Tayron, which essentially is the Tiguan All-Space which has been given a new name. The model will be introduced in the second half of the year and is a 7-seater sport utility vehicle that is positioned between the Touareg and Tiguan. The car is engineered and built in the Wolfsburg plant in Germany and features technology from the premium level Touareg including IQ.Light HD Matrix headlights, massage seat functions, adaptive cruise control and ambient lighting. It also has advanced safety features like exit warning system, travel assist for a safer, more convenient driving experience and lane change and keep assist. Apart from being just a longer version of the Tiguan, the Tayron has different design characteristics with slightly different shaped headlights, with a illuminated VW badge in front, and a different lighting pattern on the rear lights. It also has sporty elements on the R-Line like 19-inch alloy wheels, R-Line bumpers and 30-colour ambient lighting. 

Another SUV that got introduced is the much loved T-Cross which has been the best selling in the T segment for the company, with over 36,000 units sold since its launch in 2019, it only makes sense that they expand the offerings to capatilise on its success with two new derivatives. These are the 1.0TSI 70kW manual and the 1.0 TSI 85kW DSG, these form the perfect base onto build a perfect SUV that has a blend of performance, style and advanced features. Like the model which is currently on sale, the T-Cross comes standard with an 8" Digital Cockpit, App-Connect, Multi-function steering wheel, 2 USB port in front and a tyre pressure monitoring system. 

Other models showcased included the Polo 15th Edition that celebrates 15 years of Polo Vivo, these will be limited to 1500 units and available in the third quarter of the year. A Polo GTI Black Style which features all the black treatment on the alloys, mirrors, diffuses and seats. The VW Transporter will also make its way in the country in the second quarter. The new Transporter features larger dimensions, including a 146mm increased length and wider body, it comes with LED headlights, 12-inch Digital cockpit and advanced infotainment system with mobile app connectivity. It will only be available in the 2.0 TDI engine but with a choice of a 6-speed manual gearbox or an 8-speed automatic.

 Another announcement at the Indaba saw the Volkswagen Group take over the retail operations of Ducati in South Africa. This taking the tally up to 4 offerings from the Group which already includes VW passenger Cars, Audi and VW Commercial. 

 

Bucket Seat: VW Polo Vivo - Refreshed

The Polo Vivo remains one of South Africa's best selling passenger vehicles with over 425 000 units sold  locally and in Sub Saharan Africa, all of which were manufactured at their Kariega Plant just out Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape. This week I got the opportunity to view the plant, which since February this year, is the only plant in the world to make the Polo and its derivatives. The visit was to view the refreshed Polo Vivo which hits the streets of Mzanzi this month. Many expected drastic changes to the current model as face-lifts go, this was pretty on par with nothing dramatic in terms of styling cues but lots of extras in terms of tech and safety. 

The major talking about about these updates that the Vivo receives is that most of them were designed and manufactured right here in South Africa. The engineers in the plant talked us through the major design change which is the front bumper which is now more aligned to the Volkswagen design language, featuring a broader lower grille made up of slats that are pronounced by angular "boomerang" styled side pieces which are colour coded to the cars colour. The Polo Vivo also receives new headlights with corner bending lights on higher trims. The rear see's the "Vivo" name plate follow the new VW convention of being in center, again, another item which was designed locally and needed sign off from head office. The GT line gets an updated badge and not stick on decals like the older model. 

The Vivo will be available in three variants, the entry level Vivo, mid level "Life" and the range topping "Style", There is also the range topping GT and a limited edition "Black Styling" package of which only 500 will be made. On the Life variant, it will feature a special 15-inch alloy wheel which was designed and made here in SA, dubbed "Ubomi"it is quite an attractive looking wheel for the mid range Vivo. 

On the safety front, all Vivo's will come with front fog lamps and cornering light with day time running lights, Life and Style models will get Twin headlamps with integrated high beam assist. All Vivo's will have tyre pressure monitoring and get side airbags fitted into the driver and front passenger seats, taking the total airbags up to four now, making it one of the safest cars in its segment. 

All Vivo models will come with new seats, each specific to its variant with unique designs, made from robust yet comfortable materials. Each design was carefully thought of for the various model and with thorough testing of the seats which was demonstrated to us in the quality control center of the plant. The major talking point has to be the new infotainment unit which replaces the old dated radio. A 9-inch high definition touch screen unit which, again was co-designed here in SA along with VW Argentina is a refreshing update to the cabin. It's easy to use and displays the cars info such as trip logs, fuel range, tyre pressures and has mobile apps which is connected via USB A cables.

Polo Vivo has 3 engines in its line up with the 1.4L naturally aspirated engine in the standard Vivo and Life models. This motor delivers 55kW in Vivo and 63kW in the Life and has a 5-speed manual gearbox. There is a 1.6L naturally aspirated motor that delivers 77kw that is available with a tiptronic auto gearbox in the Life and a 5-speed manual in the Style variants. The range topping GT now gets a 1.0L TSI engine that delivers 81kW and has a 5-speed manual gearbox. I drove the base line Vivo at the launch and truth be told, I found zero difference from the older model, it's a solid ride but lacks power especially with a load. It's build quality is solid and with the new updates makes it an affordable car that starts off at the same price as the outgoing model which is a major plus for the consumer. 

Pricing:

1.4 55kW Vivo Manual - R266,600

1.4 63kW Life Manual - R288,500

1.6 77kW Life Tiptronic - R320,200

1.6 77kW Style Manual - R318,000

1.0 TSI 81kW GT Manual - R356,000

Prices exclude service plan