One South African factory makes all the VW Polos in the world

The popular Volkswagen (VW) Polo is made solely at the German automaker’s manufacturing plant in Kariega, Eastern Cape. It will undergo a brief shutdown as it prepares to build a new car.

In 2024, the Volkswagen Group South Africa-owned Kariega plant became the sole global production hub for the Polo.

Kariega is the assembly and shipping location for all Polo versions, including the GTI. The plant also produces the more affordable Polo Vivo.

The automaker ended production of the hatchback in Pamplona, Spain, last year as it transitions to focusing on affordable electric vehicles starting early 2026, making Kariega the sole worldwide supplier.

Although a specific version of the Polo, the Polo Track, is manufactured in Brazil for the South American market, the standard Polo is still only made in South Africa and shipped to Europe and Asia.

In South Africa, the Polo Vivo’s success is clear in its annual vehicle sales, with it claiming second spot overall with close to 26,000 sales in 2024. Only the Toyota Hilux’s 33,000 sales beat the Polo Vivo. 

Despite being the only site in the world that now manufactures the Polo, the Kariega plant is currently in a four-week shutdown.

The production cease will allow the group to install and upgrade facilities across its production areas in preparation for making a new third model. 

Vehicle production of the Polo and Polo Vivo has been halted from 14 April to 12 May, allowing VW’s team to perform the necessary work on the line in areas such as Body Shop, Paint Shop and Final Assembly.

The planned work also builds on the installations performed in December 2024 during the plant’s annual shutdown.

Roughly 60% of the required changes were finished over the initial 25 days of shutdown in December, including the installation of seven new robots;

The completion of the remaining 40% will also mark the start of the commissioning phase of the A0 SUV Entry project.

Preparations for the third model were announced in February 2024, when the VW Group Africa announced a R4 billion upgrade at the factory.

The production team is working closely with Brazilian counterparts for the launch of the mew model, and has even invited customers across Africa to help select the name of the new model.

“This project is understandably a very exciting one for us,” said VWGA Production Director Ulrich Schwabe.

“I firmly believe this new vehicle will be just as iconic as the beloved Polo and Vivo we are already building.”

Volkswagen upgrades cars in South Africa

Apart from planning to producing a new car in South Africa, VW also made several additions to its product lineup available to consumers in the first few months of 2025. 

This includes a new upgrade of the eighth-generation model of the Golf that launched in 2021.

The VW Golf’s history in South Africa dates back to 1978 with the launch of the first generation MK1, which gained acclaim for its reliability and performance.

As it was previously built at Kariega, it became a popular and affordable car with South African customers.

The eighth-generation Golf model was launched in 2021. However, it did not come with the venerable and efficient 1.4 TSI engine variant.

The upgraded model has a 1.4 TSI engine producing 110 kw, a next-generation infotainment system, and a sharper front and rear end design. The price of the new Golf starts at R580,900.

The group also introduced the VW Crafter 50 Range. The new and improved delivery truck starts from R991,000.

VW also expanded the new Tiguan model lineup by adding two new engines: a 2.0 TDI with 110 kw and a 2.0 TSI with 140 kw.

Between its local launch in August 2024 and February 2025, the new Tiguan sold over 1,000 units in South Africa.

The new version with the upgraded 2.0 TDI starts at R770,800, while the 2.0 TDI will set customers back at least R851,500. 

VW Golf

VW Tiguan

VW Crafter