Seventy-five years after the first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the production line in the Eastern Cape, the Kariega plant that started it all is celebrating in style, with President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering the keynote address at Volkswagen Group Africa’s 75th Anniversary Gala Dinner in Nelson Mandela Bay on Monday.
Held under the theme “A Legacy in Motion: Honouring the past, celebrating today, driving tomorrow”, the celebration recognises the company’s enormous contribution to South Africa’s automotive industry, economy, skills development and communities, the Presidency said.
From Studebakers to a global Polo powerhouse
The Kariega story began in 1946, when the plant, in the town then known as Uitenhage, was established as South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD) to assemble Studebaker cars. On 31 August 1951, the first Volkswagen Beetle rolled off the line, and a South African icon was born.
Over the past 75 years the plant has produced nearly 40 different models and built more than 4.8 million vehicles, over three million of them for the local market. Today Kariega holds a distinction few factories anywhere can claim: it is the sole manufacturer of the Volkswagen Polo worldwide, exporting the model to 38 countries while also building the much-loved Polo Vivo for South African drivers.
An engine for jobs and communities
Volkswagen Group Africa employs approximately 3 600 people and supports 1 440 suppliers, while its wider operations are estimated to sustain around 50 000 indirect jobs, making it a cornerstone of the Nelson Mandela Bay economy and of South Africa’s automotive manufacturing sector.
The company has backed that presence with serious investment: more than R13 billion ploughed into its South African facilities since 2010, and over R800 million in corporate social investment since 1994, supporting the communities that have built its vehicles for generations.
Driving tomorrow
The anniversary is as much about the future as the past. As part of the celebrations, Volkswagen will officially unveil a new vehicle model to be built at the Kariega plant, underlining its commitment to local manufacturing and future growth.
The company’s African footprint is expanding too, with assembly facilities already operating in Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana, and a strategy to develop sustainable automotive ecosystems and mobility solutions across the continent, with South Africa at the heart of it.
The gala will honour the generations of employees, partners, dealers, suppliers and customers who shaped the company’s journey, a fitting tribute to 75 years of South African hands building cars for the world. The event details were reported by SAnews.
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