VW Polo named 'Best Car of the Half Century'
'And it's fair to say that since the birth of the MK1 version in 1975, it has grown in size, stature, quality and market relevance. No longer is the Polo a basic supermini to be driven on tight, slow streets in busy towns and cities around the world. At more than four metres long in its current Mk6 guise it's more of a small, credible, borderline premium family hatchback.
'No wonder it remained one of the top 20 best-selling cars in Europe last year.'
Since its debut, more than 20-million Polos have been sold globally. Volkswagen positions it as an affordable car for a wide range of drivers. The model's motorsport record includes four World Rally Championship titles with the Polo R WRC, while performance variants such as the GT, G40 and the locally built GTI have added to its appeal.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
SA's auto sector hit by job losses and company closures
Low domestic sales of locally made cars, an influx of imports and low local content have led to 12 company closures and more than 4,000 job losses in the South African motor industry over two years, the trade minister said on Wednesday. South Africa, a market long dominated by the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, saw sales of 515,850 locally produced cars last year, far below the South Africa Automotive Masterplan 2035 target of 784,509, minister Parks Tau told delegates at an auto parts conference. About 64% of vehicles sold in South Africa are imports. Additionally, localisation — the level of local assembly, labour and components — remains stagnant at 39%, well short of the 60% target, while US tariffs now significantly affect the country's R28.7bn automotive exports, he added. 'These pressures have triggered 12 company closures and more than 4,000 job losses in two years,' Tau said. South Africa's automotive industry employs 115,000 people directly, with more than 80,000 in component manufacturing alone. Experts say that with the US tariffs on cars and parts that were imposed from April, jobs are under threat as some companies are set to lose contracts in America. South Africa on Tuesday submitted a revised offer for a trade deal with Washington, in an effort to lower the 30% tariff US President Donald Trump imposed last week. To help respond to the challenges in the industry, an incentive scheme for local manufacturing now includes electric vehicles and associated components, Tau said. 'Localisation is not merely policy compliance, it is existential. A 5% increase in local content would unlock R30bn in new procurement, dwarfing the R4.4bn US export market,' Tau said. International manufacturers such as Stellantis and China's Chery are looking to localise production in South Africa, with Stellantis ready to break ground in the Eastern Cape.
TimesLIVE
5 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
SA's auto sector hit by job losses and company closures
Low domestic sales of locally made cars, an influx of imports and low local content have led to 12 company closures and more than 4,000 job losses in the South African motor industry over two years, the trade minister said on Wednesday. South Africa, a market long dominated by the likes of Volkswagen, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, saw sales of 515,850 locally produced cars last year, far below the South Africa Automotive Masterplan 2035 target of 784,509, minister Parks Tau told delegates at an auto parts conference. About 64% of vehicles sold in South Africa are imports. Additionally, localisation — the level of local assembly, labour and components — remains stagnant at 39%, well short of the 60% target, while US tariffs now significantly affect the country's R28.7bn automotive exports, he added. 'These pressures have triggered 12 company closures and more than 4,000 job losses in two years,' Tau said. South Africa's automotive industry employs 115,000 people directly, with more than 80,000 in component manufacturing alone. Experts say that with the US tariffs on cars and parts that were imposed from April, jobs are under threat as some companies are set to lose contracts in America. South Africa on Tuesday submitted a revised offer for a trade deal with Washington, in an effort to lower the 30% tariff US President Donald Trump imposed last week. To help respond to the challenges in the industry, an incentive scheme for local manufacturing now includes electric vehicles and associated components, Tau said. 'Localisation is not merely policy compliance, it is existential. A 5% increase in local content would unlock R30bn in new procurement, dwarfing the R4.4bn US export market,' Tau said. International manufacturers such as Stellantis and China's Chery are looking to localise production in South Africa, with Stellantis ready to break ground in the Eastern Cape.
TimesLIVE
7 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Porsche SE cuts outlook, plans bigger push into defence
Holding company Porsche SE, Volkswagen's largest shareholder, cut its full-year profit forecast on Wednesday, weighed down by the German carmaker's weak first-half performance, while reiterating its plans to invest in the defence sector. Why it's important US tariffs have dealt a heavy blow to global carmakers, forcing them to book billions of dollars in losses, issue profit warnings, slash forecasts and raise prices. Though the EU has reached a trade deal that brought US tariffs on EU-made cars down to 15% from the previously imposed 25%, some analysts remain cautious as the duty is far higher than the 2.5% rate before US President Donald Trump launched his trade offensive. German car and car parts makers are meanwhile exploring the defence sector as a potential growth avenue, as Europe ramps up military spending. Key quotes 'Against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical situation and growing security policy requirements, Porsche SE sees considerable development potential in the defence and security sector and intends to capitalise on this,' the company said in a statement. 'With regard to portfolio investments, our aim is to increase our involvement in the defence and defence-related sectors while maintaining our core focus on mobility and industrial technology,' chairperson Hans Dieter Poetsch said. By the numbers Porsche SE expects the adjusted group result after tax to land between €1.6bn (R32,860,000,000) and €3.6bn (R74,005,200,000) in 2025, compared with €2.4bn (R49,349,280,000) to €4.4bn (R90,469,676,000) anticipated earlier. It reported an adjusted net profit of €1.1bn (R22,617,419,000) for the first half of the year, down by nearly a half from last year's €2.1bn (R43,178,709,000). Context Porsche SE, controlled by the Porsche and Piech families, is highly exposed to Volkswagen's performance through its nearly 32% stake, which influences its valuation, earnings and financial guidance. It also owns 12.5% of luxury carmaker Porsche AG, with much of the rest held by the Volkswagen Group. For full-year 2024, Porsche SE had disclosed impairments of €19.9bn (R409,169,671,000) on VW and €3.4bn (R69,899,240,000) on Porsche AG.
