PHOTO: SIYABONGA SESANT
Lights, camera, and action were the order of the day at Volkswagen Group Africa's Kariega plant on Wednesday as the company unveiled flashy new editions of its popular vehicles, including a revamped version of the sought-after Polo Vivo - which retained its long-held title as the top-selling passenger vehicle in 2024.
The grand unveiling of the facelifted Polo was accompanied by music blaring through the speakers, with hip-hop dancers entertaining the audience by popping and locking rhythmically alongside the cars as they were driving around the venue.
The festive mood at the event was capped by the announcement of Ducati as the fourth brand in Volkswagen Group Africa's brand portfolio in South Africa.
Hosting its second annual Volkswagen Indaba, the company also celebrated a bumper year on Wednesday, which set a new record for vehicles exported in 2024.
The plant in Kariega, which has been exporting vehicles since 1992 and manufacturing Polos since 1996, exported a whopping 131 485 units in 2024.
The previous export record, set in 2019, stood at 108,422 vehicles.
As of July 2024, VWGA was the sole exporter of the Polo for European and Asian Pacific markets, delivering this model to 38 countries.
Polos accounted for 88% of exported vehicles through the Port of Port Elizabeth last year.
Meanwhile, the official takeover of the Ducati brand took effect on the first of January 2025.
Managing director Martina Biene said the addition of Ducati diversifies VWGA's brand portfolio, including Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
VWGA's responsibilities include managing retail operations and importing Ducati motorcycles, as well as parts and accessories, for the South African market.
In addition, Biene said the plant remains committed to giving back to the community, with plans to build a local primary and possibly a high school in the Kariega area.
"We spend a lot of money on our CSI initiatives," she said.
Biene added they concluded that one of the best ways to give back to the community is through education and hopefully produce engineers who would one day work at Volkswagen.
