Volkswagen South Africa built more cars last month than it used to in a year
Volkswagen’s Kariega plant has set a new monthly production record, with 17,009 vehicles built in July, but its long-term future as a major export hub remains uncertain.
In July, the Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) plant in Kariega, Eastern Cape, produced a record-breaking 17,009 vehicles, surpassing its previous production record of 16,670 units, set in July 2025. This achievement marks the highest number of vehicles ever produced by a single South African manufacturer in a single month. To put this figure into perspective, the plant produced just 977 units in its first full year of operation, 78 years ago.
Over its 78-year existence, the plant has churned out a total of 4,836,371 vehicles, comprising 40 different models. The record-breaking 17,009 vehicles produced last month consisted of 13,490 latest-generation Polos, with the majority destined for export, and 3,519 Polo Vivos, primarily for the local market. Currently, the Kariega plant serves as the Volkswagen Group's main production site for Polo hatchbacks and the sole supplier for European and Asia-Pacific markets.
However, the future of the plant as a high-volume exporter is uncertain due to potential discontinuation of the petrol-engined Polo in the coming decade, ahead of Europe's ban on internal combustion-engined vehicles in 2035. The plant has not secured another high-volume export contract to replace the Polo, and its leadership has stated that the company will not build electric cars at the plant in the foreseeable future.
Recently, there have been rumors of a bakkie version of the vehicle, but these do not hold the same export potential as the current Polo. The plant's future has come under scrutiny, with concerns raised by Parliament following reports of Volkswagen Group's global restructuring, which could involve up to 100,000 job cuts and a reduction in production capacity from approximately 10 million vehicles to 9 million.
While the majority of the restructuring is expected to focus on Europe, with no plant closures outside that region, a local parliamentary committee chair emphasized the need for South Africa to remain competitive in the global manufacturing environment.
Written by urgent.news from IOL's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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