Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has announced the 500 000th sixth-generation Polo unit for export has been produced at its Kariega production facility in the Eastern Cape. This iteration of Polo has been produced at Plant Kariega since 2021. Known as the ‘Home of Polo’, since 2024, the German marque’s SA-based factory has been the sole manufacturing plant where the popular hatchback is produced. The Polo, which placed seventh among the best-selling passenger cars in SA in March 2026, is exported to 38 markets.
Finished in Crystal Ice Blue exterior paint, the 500 000th Polo built for export is set to be shipped to the United Kingdom – one of the most prominent export markets for the locally-built hatch. Noteworthy, at the time of this unit rolling off the assembly line, VWGA has manufactured over two million Polos, of which 1 448 130 were exported and the remaining units sold locally.
This is not the only milestone achieved by Plant Kariega in 2026, however. This year, it celebrated 30 years of Polo production in SA, which kicked off with the Polo Classic sedan in 1996, and since then, four generations of Polo have been manufactured at the Eastern Cape facility. Last year, the plant celebrated the two-millionth Polo rolling off the assembly line and 500 000th overall unit of the sixth-generation model.
“Reaching the milestone of producing the 500 000th current-generation Polo is a proud moment for our production and logistics team,” says VWGA production director Ulrich Schwabe. “This milestone shows 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.”
As a reminder, the VW Polo claimed top honours in the ‘Small car’ category at CAR magazine’s 2026 Top 12 Best Buys awards.
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The post VW South Africa celebrates 500 000th Polo built for export at Plant Kariega appeared first on CAR Magazine.
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