VW Polo Mk6 range incl GTI (2018)

VW South Africa celebrates one-millionth sixth-generation Polo built at Plant Kariega

Volkswagen Group Africa has achieved a new manufacturing milestone, with the one-millionth Polo rolling off the German marque’s Plant Kariega assembly line.

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has announced the one-millionth sixth-generation Polo has been produced at its Kariega production facility in the Eastern Cape. This comes after the 500 000th unit built for export rolled off the production line in April 2026. Local production of the sixth-generation Polo kicked off in 2017, and VWGA has been manufacturing four generations of the popular hatchback since 1996.

Finished in Smoky Grey exterior paint, the one-millionth Polo is a right-hand-drive GTI, destined for the South African market. The current-generation Polo makes up almost half of all Polos ever produced at Plant Kariega, as well as around a fifth of the 4 803 424 vehicles built at this factory over the past 75 years. It will also continue to build up to a significant portion of cars as it will remain in production here into the next decade, VW confirmed to us.

Around 86% of this iteration was exported to international markets like the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, while 14% were built for the local market. Germany and the UK are the biggest export destinations for the locally-built Polo, and Plant Kariega is currently the only manufacturer in the world and exporter of this model to 38 countries.

www.carmag.co.za

VW South Africa celebrates one-millionth sixth-generation Polo built at Plant Kariega

Volkswagen Group Africa has celebrated the one-million sixth-generation Polo built at the German marque’s Plant Kariega...
www.carmag.co.za www.carmag.co.za

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VW South Africa Plant Kariega sets new monthly production record in July 2026

Volkswagen’s Plant Kariega manufacturing facility has set a new monthly production record in July 2026, with 17 009 units rolling off the assembly line.

Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has set a new record for the number of vehicles built at Plant Kariega in a single month. In July 2026, 17 009 new VW vehicles rolled off the German marque’s Plant Kariega production line; surpassing the firm’s previous monthly record of 16 670 units in July 2025. This record is yet another achievement for the local arm of the Wolfsburg automaker, which is also celebrating its 75th year in South Africa on 31 August.

The majority (79%) of VWs that rolled off the Plant Kariega assembly line in the seventh month of the year were sixth-generation Polos, with 13 490 units built for local and global consumption. As a reminder, VW South Africa placed first among the top five vehicle exporters in SA in July 2026. Exclusive to the SA market, the remaining 3 519 VW units built were Polo Vivos.

The Polo has been an important model for Plant Kariega, with the sixth generation exclusively produced at this manufacturing facility for local and export markets. The one-millionth sixth-generation Polo, a Smoky Grey GTI for the local market, rolled off the assembly line in June 2026, and the two-millionth Polo produced at Plant Kariega was built in November 2025. Local Polo production kicked off in 1996 with the Polo Classic sedan, and four generations have been built here since.

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VW South Africa Plant Kariega sets new monthly production record in July 2026

VW's Plant Kariega facility has set a new monthly production record in July 2026, with over 17 000 units rolling off the line...
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Volkswagen South Africa built more cars last month than it used to in a year

The Volkswagen Polo is one of South Africa’s export heroes, and last month it helped set a production record at the local plant in Kariega in the Eastern Cape.

In July, the VWSA plant produced 17,009 vehicles, beating its previous record of 16,670 units set in July 2025. This is likely also the highest number of vehicles ever produced by a single South African manufacturer in a month .

To put that number into context, that is more vehicles than the plant produced each year during the first 15 years of its existence, from 1948 until 1963, when it churned out Studebakers, Austins and, of course, the evergreen Beetle. In fact, in its first full year, the plant produced just 977 units.

Since opening its doors 78 years ago, the Kariega, formerly Uitenhage, plant has produced a total of 4,836,371 vehicles, comprising 40 different vehicle models.

Of the record 17,009 vehicles produced last month, 13,490 were latest-generation Polos, the vast majority of which were earmarked for export. The remaining 3,519 vehicles were Polo Vivos, which is a previous-generation Polo produced primarily for the local market.

Currently, Kariega is the Volkswagen Group’s main production site for Polo hatchbacks and the sole supplier for the European and Asia-Pacific markets.

However, VWSA’s future as a high-volume exporter is uncertain, given that the petrol-engined Polo faces potential discontinuation in the coming decade ahead of Europe’s ban on internal combustion-engined vehicles in 2035. The plant has not yet secured another high-volume export contract to replace it, and its leadership has previously stated that the company will not build an electric car at the plant for the foreseeable future.

 

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