South Africa’s desperation for a right-hand-drive Saveiro was confirmed by the immense interest in our April Fools’ story from back in 2015, which cheekily suggested that the half-tonne bakkie had been confirmed for local introduction.
Of course, that wasn’t the case then … and it sadly still isn’t.
Despite the fact that there are only two contenders in this segment locally – the Nissan NP200 and Chevrolet Utility, with the latter furthermore set to exit the stage at the end of the year – Volkswagen SA has not been able to convince the mothership to offer the little bakkie with the steering wheel sited on the right. Not yet, at least.
And that will likely make the appearance of this latest special edition version of the Saveiro in Brazil all the more difficult for would-be South African buyers to swallow…
Dubbed the Saveiro Pepper (and based on the Cross version), the new range-topper gains all manner of styling updates, lending it an almost-GTI-like look.
The additions include special 15-inch alloys, a red line through the grille, model-specific side-mirror caps, “Pepper” badging, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and plenty of red trim inside. As before, power comes from a 1,6-litre petrol engine linked to a five-speed manual.
Now, if only they’d put the steering wheel on the correct side…
[UPDATE: After some of our readers posted this story to Volkswagen SA’s Facebook page pleading for its introduction, this was the automaker’s official response: “Thanks for your interest in the Volkswagen Saveiro. We’re well aware of the interest this model has generated locally. However, our Product Planners have to be certain of its local viability before we can introduce such a model to our market. For now, it is only available in a few selected markets globally. Research continues.”]
Also read:
- 5 bakkies we think South Africa would go crazy for
- 5 half-tonne bakkies axed in SA over the past decade
- South Africa’s 10 best-selling bakkies of June 2017
- 5 most expensive double-cab bakkies in South Africa
- 7 most fuel-efficient double-cab bakkies in SA
- 5 double-cab bakkies that make the most torque…
- 5 big bakkies South Africa might want but can’t have
