The Car Guide

With the all-electric VW Polo having made its global debut, what’s the future of the SA-built internal combustion (ICE) model? In 2025, CAR Editor Ian McLaren spoke to Thomas Schäfer, CEO of Volkwagen Passenger cars, at IAA Mobility in Munich to find out. Image: Volkswagen The Polo has entered a new era, with VW officially unveiling the ID. Polo – the first all-electric version of the German marque’s popular hatchback. However, what does this mean for its locally-built ICE sibling? Well, at IAA Mobility 2025, which took place from 9-14 September in Munich, the Wolfsburg brand revealed to CAR magazine that the ICE variant will remain in production – at Plant Kariega – until “at least” 2033. Speaking to CAR Editor Ian McLaren, CEO of VW Passenger cars Thomas Schäfer quipped, “While they still play Boney M at Christmas in South Africa, this market will have Polo.” As a reminder, while the ID. Polo, which was officially revealed on 29 April 2026, is set to be bui...

CAR Intern Cale Nuttall reports back from the Omoda & Jaecoo stand at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which kicked off on 24 April 2026. We attended the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, which kicked off on 24 April, with Omoda & Jaecoo to get up close to this Chery sub-brand’s latest wares and find out what the automaker has in store for our market in the future. Here’s a summary of what stood out, as well as what’s been confirmed for South Africa. Omoda C4 Image: Supplied The series-production Omoda C4  made its official debut at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show. Confirmed for SA in 2026, the strikingly styled compact crossover will be available with the choice of atmospheric and turbocharged 1.5-litre, four-cylinder internal combustion engine (ICE) options. Omoda is currently mulling transmission options for our market – the latter including CVT, dual-clutch and, potentially, manual. Traditional hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and  battery-electric (BEV) variants are set to ...