Sixty years ago today, the first Volkswagen Beetle wasproduced in Uitenhage, South Africa. The date 31 August 1951 is asignificant date both for Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) and themany South Africans who have either owned one of its cars or been employed atthe company.
Since then, VWSA has produced over 2.8 million vehicles, been awarded numerousexport orders by its parent company, won a number of local and internationalawards and currently produces South Africa’s two top-selling passengervehicles.
Volkswagen Group South Africa Managing Director, David Powels, said the company’s come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1946 with theestablishment of South African Motor Assemblers and Distributors (SAMAD), whichproduced 12 Studebakers a day, to the world class factory it is today –producing an average of 600 vehicles daily.
Powels said the original management, in the form of SAMAD’s first MD, MelvilleSteele Brooks and Chairman, Baron Klaus von Oertzen, could not have predictedhow Volkswagen would grow from a small company with big dreams, and prosperover the next 60 years – not only building Volkswagens and Audis, but alsoAustins, Volvo’s and Jeeps.
Since its introduction in 1951 until the end of production in 1979, 290 000 ofthe iconic Beetles were sold in South Africa. For 11 of those 28 years,it was the top selling vehicle in the country. Another proudly South Africancar, the Golf 1, was launched in 1979, and until the end of its life cycle atthe end of 2009, 517 384 A1 Golfs had rolled of the production line inUitenhage. These humble cars became giants in the motoring world, andwould define generations of South Africans.
Volkswagen’s advertising campaigns over the years also speak volumes. Whocould forget the famous “Red, Yellow, Blue Citi Golf” TV campaigns, or theaerial views of thousands of its staff and another of VW vehicles - sprawledout in the shape of the company logo - in the “People’s Cars” television ads,or of the father proudly handing over the keys to his beloved Beetle to his son?
Not only has it been producing “People’s Cars” for six decades, but VWSA alsohas a proud history of putting people first – from having trained and qualifiedthe country’s first Black artisans in the 1980’s to providing continuoustraining to its staff, suppliers and dealers today.
Over the years, the Volkswagen Brand has won six consecutive rallychampionships, three Dakar rallies, put the first Black rally champion on thepodium and won the South African Car of the Year award two years in arow.
“Once only producing for the local automotive market, the company has sincegrown to become a significant exporter to Volkswagen markets around theworld. VWSA’s uncompromising approach to quality has seen it becomeintegrated into the Volkswagen global supplier network – producing cars to thesame exacting standards as the other 60 Volkswagen facilities around the world.To-date we have exported more than half a million vehicles to the rest of theworld since our first major order to China in 1992,” said Powels.
The company is an integral part of the global presence of the Volkswagen Group– a Group which today employs nearly 370 000 people worldwide in 60 productionplants and who produce about 28 000 vehicles or are involved in vehicle-relatedservices each day. “VWSA is the largest German investment in SouthAfrica. Over the years we have grown into a strong, proud company andremain a trusted Brand with a humble heart," said Powels.
Currently in South Africa, a 5 000-strong workforce produces about 600 PoloVivo’s and Polo’s – the country’s two top selling passenger vehicles –daily. These two vehicles have helped position VWSA as the market leaderfor four months of 2011.
“The Volkswagen Group has been in South Africa for 60 years, and has evolvedand changed with the times. We now have to maintain our momentum, andlook forward to the next 60 years,” said Powels.
What’s in store for the future of Volkswagen Group South Africa? “The company’s vision is to become the country’s best-selling and most profitablecar company, for the Uitenhage-based manufacturer to produce South Africa’sbest quality cars, which in turn will result in the country’s most satisfiedcustomers. For its 5 000 employees, the company would like to see themcontinue upskilling themselves and be the most delighted workforce in thecountry,” concluded Powels.
STORY BY VOLKSWAGEN
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