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By Moses Akaigwe
For almost 75 years, the Volkswagen plant in Kariega, South Africa, has been home to many iconic vehicles – three million, in fact.
The employees of Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) recently celebrated a significant milestone, as a smoky grey Polo Vivo became the 3-millionth car built for the South African market at Plant Kariega.
Though VWGA marks its birthday as August 31, 1951, the date on which the first Volkswagen (Beetle) rolled off the production line, Plant Kariega has actually been manufacturing vehicles since November 1948. Under the umbrella of SAMAD (South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors), selected Studebaker and Austin models were built here before the first Volkswagens were added to the production line-up.
The three million vehicles built to date also include:
VW Beetle (1951 – 1979)
VW Type 2 (1955 – 2002)
VW Type 3 Sedan, Variant and Fastback (1963 – 1969)
Audi Super 90 (1968 – 1972)
VW Type 4 – 411 and 412 Sedan and Variant (1969 – 1974)
Audi 100 (including Coupe S) to Audi A4 (1972 – 2001)
Passat sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons (1974 – 1987)
Audi 80 sedans and station wagons (1975 – 1981)
VW Fleetline range, Kombi, Panel van, Pickup (1975 – 1978)
Golf 1 to 5 (1978 – 2009)
Jetta 1 to 5 (1980 – 2009)
VW Golf 1 Pickup (1980 – 2007)
VW Citi Golf (1984 – 2009)
VW Fox/Trippa (1987 – 1995)
VW Polo Classic (1996 – 2002)
VW Polo Playa (1998 – 2002)
VW Polo range including Cross Polo and Polo Vivo (2002 – 2017)
VW Polo, including Polo Vivo and Polo GTI (2018 – current)
The milestone underlines the contribution of the Volkswagen plant to the local automotive market and economy. The plant currently builds the Polo, which is sold locally and was also the most exported car in South Africa in 2024, while the proudly South African Vivo has been the best-selling passenger car in the country since 2010. Both models were also honoured at the Naamsa Accelerator Awards held last weekend.
“This milestone affirms Volkswagen’s legacy in Kariega and the South African market at large,” says Ulrich Schwabe, Production Director at VWGA. “This plant has produced many icons over the past seven decades, including the Beetle, the Citi Golf and now the Vivo, and we intend to make our Tengo the next icon when we start manufacturing it in Kariega from 2027. Thank you to everyone who has played a part in shaping the history of our plant and achieving this momentous milesto
