Volkswagen South Africa on Friday celebrated the 50th anniversary of its products in this country and the day the first Beetle rolled off the production line in Uitenhage.
On Friday, Volkswagen South Africa celebrated the 50th anniversary of its products in this country and the day the first Beetle rolled off the production line in Uitenhage.
Volkswagen managing director Hans-Christian Maergner said he was most proud that Volkswagen South Africa had managed to change perceptions forever about the way vehicles were built. “Without a doubt we can claim a change in mindset from being an African motor manufacturer – focused on a limited and protected market – to being a motor manufacturer based in Africa – able to supply the needs of the world at the same level as plants elsewhere.
“This is proof that Volkswagen has grasped the challenge of the global marketplace. It has not come to us as a handout. Instead, it has been achieved through a lot of hard work – and here we have to thank you – our people who have helped us achieve this.”
More than 5 500 employees took part in the celebrations at the Uitenhage plant that included a parade through the plant of Volkswagen vehicles of yesteryear – including the Beetle, Beetle Cabriolet, Fastbacks, Kombis, among others. Each employee received a gift of a watch and a golf shirt.
German visitors Hans Juergen Uhl, the secretary general of the World Works council, Dr Ekkerhardt Wesner, a Supervisory Board member of the Volkswagen Group, and Gerhard Kakalick, member of the Kassel Works Council, were also present for the celebrations.
Maergner said the early pioneers who brought the first Volkswagen Beetle to this country could not have realised the importance of this step. “If we look back over the last 50 years we can confidently say that Volkswagen has not only survived – but prospered. Volkswagen South Africa now finds itself as an integral part of the global presence of the Volkswagen Group. A group that today has more than 320 000 employees world-wide and who produced more than five million vehicles last year.
“We are part of this successful foundation – part of the fifth largest car manufacturer in the world and number one in Europe.
“Against this background we have learned to stand up and be counted. We have been the biggest exporter of vehicles from the African continent for the past decade – exporting vehicles to China, Australia and Europe.
“We were also the top-selling car manufacturer in South Africa for much of the 1990s – with virtually one in five new cars being bought coming from the Volkswagen model range. And this was all achieved through an uncompromising approach to quality and integration into the Volkswagen global supplier network.”