By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has produced the 500,000th unit of the current-generation (Mk6) Volkswagen Polo for export at its Kariega plant in the Eastern Cape.
VWGA said that over the past three decades, four generations of the Polo have been produced in Kariega, with the current Polo model in production since 2021.
“The milestone vehicle was a Crystal Ice Blue, right-hand-drive Polo destined for the United Kingdom, which is one of VWGA’s main export markets,” VWGA said in a statement on Wednesday.
“In 2024, Plant Kariega became the sole global exporter of the Polo to 38 international markets.
“Earlier this year, the Polo was voted ‘Best Small Car’ in the 50th edition of Auto Motor und Sport’s Best Cars readers’ poll, which is the largest car reader survey in Europe.
“Additionally, the Polo was recently announced by CAR as the winner in the Small Cars segment in its 2026 Top 12 Best Buys, “the statement added.
The company said that at the point of achieving this milestone, VWGA had produced 2,044,761 Polos in Kariega, of which 596,631 were sold in the local market and 1,448,130 were exported.
Germany is now the biggest export market for the Polo, with 124 711 vehicles shipped between 2020 and 2026, followed closely by the United Kingdom at 113 171 units.
2026 is a special year for VWGA; not only does the company celebrate 75 years of building vehicles in South Africa, it also marks 30 years of Polo production in Kariega.
“Reaching the milestone of producing the 500,000th current-generation Polo is a proud moment for our Production and Logistics team,” said Ulrich Schwabe, VWGA Production Director.
“This milestone reflects the hard work, skill, and dedication of every employee at Plant Kariega.”
“Our people have dedicated three decades to building and delivering this beloved vehicle to our customers, and these teams are the reason the Polo continues to shine, both here at home and across the world,” Schwabe concluded.