A silver-coloured Jetta 4 has become the two millionth vehicle to roll off Volkswagen SA’s assembly line in Uitenhage.
A silver-coloured Jetta 4 has become the two millionth vehicle to roll off Volkswagen SA’s assembly line in Uitenhage.
VWSA managing director Hans-Christian Maergner said the company would donate R1 for every car that has been produced over the past 57 years to community projects.
“An overall amount of R2 million has been set aside. It will be divided into R1 million for the Volkswagen Community Trust, while the balance will be allocated to job creation projects and to support community initiatives around the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Uitenhage and surrounding areas,” Maergner said.
To mark the milestone, VWSA displayed cars like the Studebaker and early VW Beetles to symbolise the factory’s beginnings as South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors in 1946 – followed by an a range of more contemporary cars such as the Audi 100, VW Fastback, Golf I, II, and III, Microbus and Golf 4.
The company has been known as VWSA since 1966 and produced its millionth car in 1988. It took the company a further 15 years to double that mark.
“We are proud that Volkswagen is a globally competitive company and that the people of the Nelson Mandela Metro have made it happen. Volkswagen has shown a commitment to the people of this area by investing in the community as well as projects like the Uitenhage Despatch Development Initiative (UDDI) to encourage employment opportunities along with local and provincial government,” Nelson Mandela Metro Executive Mayor Nceba Faku said.
The meeting was also attended by former VWSA directors – including retired chief executive Peter Searle – as well as former trade unionist and Member of Parliament John Gomomo and Baroness Irene von Oertzen, wife of Baron Klaus von Oertzen, who introduced the Volkswagen Beetle to South Africa in 1951.
“There are no guarantees in the automotive world today but if we meet our production targets, our quality targets, our return on investment, and if we can continue to improve, we can assure a future for ourselves and the next generation of Volkswagen car owners in South Africa,” Maergner said.
“We have done it before – our investments this year alone in infrastructure and tooling for future products will exceed R800 million – and I know that our employees will play a major part towards assisting us in reaching our goals,” he added.
