GadgetWheels
VW mini-SUV preps its
SA entrance
The A0 SUV Entry model will be added to the VWGA production line in Kariega, alongside the Polo and Polo Vivo.
Volkswagen Group Africa’s Kariega plant has completed the latest phase of an upgrade that will see it add the A0 SUV Entry to the Polo and Polo Vivo models coming off that production line.
The third model, which Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) will build from 2027, is a new entry-level mini-SUV model based on the Polo platform and slotted below the T-Cross. The model is currently referred to as the Tera in Brazil, and will cater to ongoing demand for Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles in South Africa and Africa.
Plans to add this model to the production line in Kariega alongside the Polo and Polo Vivo, were announced at the VW Indaba media event in February this year.
The current work builds on the foundation of the installations performed in December 2024 during the plant’s annual shutdown. Approximately 60% of the required changes were effected over the 25 days of shutdown, including the installation of 38 new fixtures and seven new robots, along with other modifications.
About 60% of the required work was completed during the December 2024 shutdown.
From 14 April to 12 May, the plant halted production to complete the remaining 40% of the required installations and upgrades in the Body Shop, Paint Shop, and Final Assembly areas. This work included finalising all installations completed in Body Shop, station modifications and the programming of robots in Paint Shop, and modifying conveyors in Final Assembly.
With this work completed and production returning to normal, the A0 SUV Entry project is now in its commissioning phase. This entails a systematic process of bringing the new equipment online and performing necessary checks to ensure these are functioning optimally. This is being done over weekends in order to prevent any disruption to Plant Kariega’s production over three shifts.
VWGA says it is working closely with colleagues in Volkswagen do Brasil to develop, build and launch the A0 SUV Entry.
“We are happy to be back to normal production, with the knowledge that we are one step closer to our future of building three models in our plant,” said VWGA production director Ulrich Schwabe.
