VW gears up for 120 000 vehicles a year

Volkswagen South Africa has passed another milestone on its journey to producing 120 000 vehicles a year for local and export markets at its Uitenhage plant with the opening of a R178-million Benteler Automotive factory. Situated in the Nelson Mandela Bay Logistics Park (NMBLP) in Uitenhage, the factory will supply dashboard carrier panels and body parts, front and rear bumpers and chassis parts to VW Group SA for the new Polo and Polo Vivo ranges. “Benteler is key to Volkswagen Group South Africa’s business strategy to increase the local content of the New Polo, manufactured for both the domestic and export markets and the Polo Vivo manufactured for the South African market, to in excess of 70% local content,” said VW Group SA managing director, David Powels. Over the past two years, Benteler together with Faurecia, Grupo Antolin, Rehau and Flex tech have invested over R700 million in the NMBLP to support VW. “Four years ago, VW Group SA commenced a R5 billion investment programme in new plant, new technologies, new product and the required people skills development. One of the fundamental pillars of this ambitious investment programme was to take local content levels from below 40% to in excess of 70%. Together with Benteler and our other supplier partners in the NMBLP, we have achieved our target,” said Powels at the official opening of the factory. The nearby port of Ngqura will also provide the “ideal base” from which to export, according to Hein van Gerwen, CEO and president of Benteler Automotive.