VW’s Kariega plant readies for new small SUV introduction
Volkswagen Group Africa’s (VWGA’s) Kariega plant will halt production for four weeks as the facility is readied for the addition of a third entry-level model to its production line-up in 2027.
Vehicle production of the Polo and Polo Vivo will be halted until May 12, to allow teams to perform the required work in areas such as the body shop, paint shop and final assembly line.
These upgrades build on the installation work done in December, during the plant’s annual shutdown.
Around 60% of the required changes were affected over these 25 days, including the installation of 38 new fixtures and seven new robots, along with other modifications.
The work planned for the coming four weeks includes finalising all installations completed in the body shop; station modifications and the programming of robots in the paint shop; and modifying conveyors in the final assembly area, among other tasks.
The completion of this work will also mark the start of the commissioning phase of what VWGA calls the ‘A0 SUV Entry project’.
The preparations for the new sports-utility vehicle, however, extend beyond the production setup.
The procurement team has completed the nominations of suppliers, in line with the localisation targets set for the new model’s parts.
Meanwhile, the product development team is collaborating with their colleagues at Volkswagen do Brasil to develop the vehicle, with a VWGA employee stationed at the Volkswagen plant in São Bernardo do Campo as technical project leader.
Additionally, the company will soon issue an invitation to customers across Africa to help select the name of the new model.
“This project is understandably a very exciting one for us,” says VWGA production director Ulrich Schwabe.
“When the first unit of this new vehicle rolls off our production line, it will be a proud moment for the entire VWGA family, and I firmly believe this new vehicle will be just as iconic as the beloved Polo and Vivo we are already building.”
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