With the all-electric VW Polo making its global debut, what’s next for the SA-built internal combustion (ICE) model? In 2025, CAR Editor Ian McLaren spoke to Thomas Schäfer, CEO of VW Passenger Cars, at IAA Mobility in Munich to find out.
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. But what does this mean for its locally-built ICE sibling? At IAA Mobility 2025, held from September 9–14 in Munich, VW told CAR magazine that the ICE variant will stay in production – at Plant Kariega – until “at least” 2033. Speaking to CAR Editor Ian McLaren, CEO 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 for local and global consumption. In April 2026, the 500 000th sixth-generation Polo built for export rolled off 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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