
Podcast: Names for South Africa's Volkswagen Tera revealed
Kylaq will be sold by Volkswagen as the Tera in South America. Image: Volkswagen do Brazil via motor1.com Brazil.
Volkswagen has released details of the monikers its new SUV will be sold under ahead of its market arrival in 2027.
Today on our show we chat about the first round of updates Volkswagen has completed at its Kariega plant as well as which name South Africa's very own VW Tera could be dubbed as.
ALSO READ: PODCAST: GR Sport model gives new Toyota RAV4 serious punch

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The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
East London wreaks havoc with National Extreme Festival
Early morning wet weather resulted in changeable conditions that saw a series of accidents involving multiple red flags in the various categories. Julian van der Watt took his works Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI to victory in Saturday's opening South African Touring Car race. Photograph: Brandsponential. Adverse weather conditions played havoc with round five of the National Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola at the East London Grand Prix circuit on Saturday. Programme rescheduled Rain overnight and into the early morning left the circuit sodden, with little rivers running over some of the fastest parts. Following no less than two massive accidents in early morning qualifying that requires tyre barriers to be rebuilt, racing only commenced in the early afternoon, forcing the organisers to cut the programme drastically. ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival gives the Zwartkops faithful their wish At the centre of this was the complete cancellation of both SunBet Kawasaki ZX10 Masters races, a reduction in lap count to eight for all the other classes, and a single 'long' race over 12 laps for the Toyota GR Cup. Eventually, with the weather cleared and the track repaired, the event got underway, producing some excellent racing. Touring Cars Premier billing went to the South African Touring Car category, with the day's opening race providing a one-two finish for the works Volkswagen Motorsport Golf GTI entries of Julian van der Watt and Jagger Robertson. Nathi Msimanga took the final podium place in a rather battered Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla after a crash in practice, leading home Andrew Schofield (Safair BMW 128it), Michael van Rooyen (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla) and Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing Corolla). Keegan Campos (Campos Transport BMW 128it) fought with the leaders until the pit straight of the final lap, where his car cut out. Campos heroically pushed it the last 200 metres to the flag, to clinch seventh place championship points. Starting from an inverted grid, van Rooyen led race two all the way, though behind, a mid-race clash between Msimanga and Robertson in the tight complex section prevented another Volkswagen 1-2 finish. Van der Watt was, therefore, second ahead of Schofield, Msimanga, Variawa and a less than pleased Robertson. Not taking the grid was the privateer Toyota Corolla of Siyabonga Mankonkwana after a monstrous accident in the complex in race one that completely destroyed the car, without any harm to the driver. SupaCup Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) won the opening SupaCup category from Tate Bishop (ANGRI Volkswagen SupaPolo), Dylan Pragji (Styling Auto Volkswagen SupaPolo), Jason Loosemore (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) and Dawie van der Merwe (Toyota Gazoo Racing SupaStarlet). Jonathan Mogotsi (Volkswagen Genuine Parts SupaPolo) won both SupaCup races. Photograph: Brandsponential. Mogotsi took race two as well, leading home Bishop, Loosemore, Pragji and Nicolaos Vostanis (Campos Transport SupaPolo). Polo Cup Bradley Liebenberg returned to the Astron Energy Polo Cup arena in an unsponsored Polo, and won race one by a narrow margin from Mohammed Karodia (Fast 5). Bradley Liebenberg returned to the Astron Energy Polo Cup arena on Saturday, and won the race. Brandsponential. They were chased to the flag by Judd Bertholdt (Rookie Cup), Rory Atkinson (Industry Petroleum) and lady racer Tyler Robinson (AF Fans). Wayne Masters (Performance Masters) took the Masters category from John Kruger (Harbot Lubricants), Derek Smalberger (SABERTEK) and Mike Barbaglia (Pabar Polo). GR Cup The one and only GR Cup race, in the GR86 class, went to Jason Coetzee ahead of Kent Swartz and Kanya Ngwenya. Jason Coetzee (Toyota GR86) won the day's only Toyota Gazoo Racing Cup round overall. Photograph: Brandsponential. Runaway championship leader Nabil Abdool (SuperSport) took the GR Yaris media section win from Yaris Cup victory from Phuti Mpayne (TimesLive) and Kyle Kock (CAR Magazine). GR driving instructor Devon Scott won the GR Corolla leg from GR dealers Mario da Sousa and Werner Venter. MSA4 The opening heat for the Investchem MSA4 single-seaters saw numerous spins and off-track excursions, as the drivers of the new cars got to grips with the conditions. KC Ensor-Smith (Investchem MSA4) won both the races for Investchem MSA4 single-seaters. Photograph: Brandsponential. Eventually, the victory went to KC Ensor-Smith (Investchem), leading home Mikel Bezuidenhout, Shrien Naidoo and Karabo Malemela. Ensor-Smith won race two as well, chased to the flag by Naidoo, Bezuidenhout and Malemela. Ending on a low The race day ended early when the second Astron Energy Polo Cup race was red-flagged after two laps. First Rory Atkinson lost his car through the ultra fast Potters Pass sweep and plowed into the tyre barrier. He was unhurt, but the Polo became a lot shorter. On the next lap, Tyler Robinson lost control of her car in the main straight after putting a wheel off into the muddy veld and rolled it at high speed. The young lady crawled from the wreck having escaped injury, but the tyre barrier was knocked down and the organisers were forced to end the meeting before daylight ran out. Staying at the coast The next round of the National Extreme Festival Presented By Coca-Cola will be at the Western Cape Killarney circuit on Saturday, September 13. ALSO READ: National Extreme Festival gives it its all at Aldo Scribante

The Herald
2 days ago
- The Herald
VW's Kariega plant celebrates a strong year as the ‘Home of Polo'
Volkswagen Group Africa (VWGA) has celebrated one year since it became the German brand's sole exporter of the Polo for left- and right-hand drive European and Asia-Pacific markets. The hatchback has been built at the Kariega plant since 1996 and the Polo Vivo since 2010, but the Eastern Cape factory only became the self-proclaimed 'home of Polo' on July 1 2024, said Ulrich Schwabe, production director at VWGA. 'The Polo is unquestionably an icon, and we are proud to call Plant Kariega its home,' said Schwabe. 'Our first year as the sole exporter of the Polo was certainly strong, and we plan to build on the foundation of the success continuously and consistently with the Polo, Vivo and our upcoming third model, the Tengo.' The Polo was South Africa's most exported vehicle in 2024 and accounts for 88% of exported vehicles through the Gqeberha port, said VW. Between July 2024 and June 2025, 119,336 Polos were exported from Kariega to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Of these, the biggest receivers of Polos are Germany, France and the UK. A record 167,084 vehicles were built in Kariega in 2024, of which 131,485 units were Polos for export, and 35,599 vehicles were Polos and Polo Vivos for the local market. A record-breaking 13,930 Polos were built in October 2024 alone. The Polo was the seventh best-selling passenger car in the local market last year, with 12,253 units. In April-May, VWGA shut the Kariega plant for four weeks in preparation for the Tengo model that will be assembled and sold in SA from 2027. Volkswagen announced in early 2024 it would build the small SUV as a third model at the factory alongside the Polo and Polo Vivo in a R4bn investment.


The Citizen
2 days ago
- The Citizen
VW Polo or T-Cross? How to choose between hatch and crossover
Hatchbacks more affordable than its SUV counterparts, but less flashy. The VW T-Cross (right) is the crossover version of the Polo hatchback. Pictures: Supplied Choosing between a crossover SUV like the Volkswagen T-Cross and its hatchback sibling the VW Polo is not an easy choice. The market has become crossover-obsessed as these cars feature SUV-like styling and lofty driving positions. They've become practical and attainable status symbols. Yet hatchbacks continue to deliver exactly what most drivers need at a lower price. Using AutoTrader pre-owned sales data, we compared similar crossovers and hatchbacks produced between 2019 and 2023 to determine whether the pros of owning a crossover outweigh the cons. Crossover versus hatchback Many of B-segment hatchbacks have a crossover counterpart like the Peugeot 208 and 2008, Suzuki Baleno and Fronx and Renault Clio and Captur. For this comparison, The Citizen Motoring has weighed up two star performers in the Volkswagen stable. The VW Polo remains one of South Africa's most popular hatchbacks and one of the few survivors in the ever-shrinking B-segment. With an average listing price of R273 189 the Polo is on average R63 836 cheaper than its crossover counterpart, the VW T-Cross. The T-Cross did offer a lower average mileage of 59 238km compared to the Polo's 67 628km. Both had an average registration age of four years. ALSO READ: Volkswagen Polo now made exclusively in South Africa The VW Polo and T-Cross base models are both powered by the TSI 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine that produces 70kW of power and 175Nm of torque. But the T-Cross consumes 0.6L/100km more than the VW Polo's claimed 5.3L/100km. It also has a shorter fuel range (678km vs 755km) and emits more carbon emissions. Should it matter to you the VW T-Cross also accelerates from 0 to 100km/h 0.7 seconds slower than the Polo. VW Polo and T-Cross equally safe While the T-Cross offers a 34-litre bigger boot than the 351-litre boot of the VW Polo, both vehicles seat five occupants. Both carry the same safety ratings, with Euro NCAP awarding each a five-star score. The VW T-Cross provides a marginally more spacious interior. Still, the average small, young family is unlikely to notice, making the VW Polo the more sensible choice for used car buyers. 'When you look at the data side by side, the value equation speaks for itself,' said George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader. 'In many cases, hatchbacks offer lower purchase prices, better fuel economy, and comparable safety and tech to their crossover counterparts, without compromising everyday usability. This isn't about steering consumers away from crossovers, but helping them make decisions that suit both their lifestyles and their wallets.'