VW to continue producing petrol-only Polo in SA into next decade

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.

VW Polo GTI exterior

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 built in Spain, the petrol-powered Polo, along with its Polo GTI sibling, is exclusively produced at Plant Kariega – the so-called ‘Home of Polo’ – in the Eastern Cape province for local and global consumption. In April 2026, the 500 000th sixth-generation Polo built for export rolled of VW’s Kariega production line.

The current-generation SA-built Polo hatch claimed top honours in the ‘Small car’ category at our 2026 Top 12 Best Buys awards.

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