Share your memories as VW celebrates 65 years in SA
65 years ago on this day, 31 August, the first South African built Volkswagen rolled off the assembly line in Uitenhage.
Review encourages Volkswagen owners, especially those with Volla’s from yesteryear, to share their memories of their beloved ‘Peoples Car’.
Ralph Boemer the ultimate Volkswagen fan shared his story
The Uitenhage manufacturing plant was founded in 1946 as the South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD). At that time, the factory assembled at least 12 Studebakers a day. Today, the factory has grown to a daily capacity of 600 cars for local and international markets.
In the past 65 years over 3.4 million vehicles have been built at the Uitenhage factory. The factory has become an integral part of the Volkswagen production network, as such that it has been awarded numerous export orders by the parent company. The current two top-selling passenger models, the Polo and the Polo Vivo, are produced at the Volkswagen factory in Uitenhage.
The World and more specifically South Africa have changed over the past 65 years. The political and economic landscape has changed dramatically and Volkswagen has grown from a small German company assembling the Beetle to one of the largest automobile companies in the world.
But the one thing that has remained constant is Volkswagen in the Eastern Cape. Volkswagen has become entrenched in the minds of South Africans as the people’s car, manufacturing and selling iconic vehicles with catchy, heart-warming adverts.
Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) continues to invest in the economy with R4.5 million being invested in 2015 alone.
VWSA is the largest private sector employer in the Eastern Cape and contributes substantially to all facets of the local economy. VWSA is also the single largest investment in Sub-Saharan Africa by a German company.
Not only does VWSA impact the economy but also the community in which it operates. Through its Community Trust, VWSA provides support and financial assistance to schools and projects in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro.
“Our company vision is to provide sustainable mobility for Africa with German engineering and a South African heart. At the centre of this company is and always will be the exceptional people who build and sell our vehicles. Without them we would not have made it to where we are today, 65 years later,” said Thomas Schaefer, Chairman and Managing Director of the Volkswagen Group South Africa.
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