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During February 2020, Volkswagen South Africa announced its plans for 2020, as well as all the new vehicles it plans to launch throughout the year and going into 2021.
The vehicles, all ranging from the Amarok bakkie (upgraded 190kW 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine) to the best-selling Polo Vivo hatchback, will be rolled out throughout the year in a bid to gain a greater share of the market.
In 2019, VWSA attained a 20.4% overall market share, after selling 89 352 new vehicles locally. The automaker was only bested by Toyota, who dominated the local market with an astonishing overall sales figure of 130 072 units.
Volkswagen is aiming to increase both its market share and sales figure in 2020, hence the product assault it is planning for the new year.
Herewith all the new vehicles Volkswagen will be launching in SA throughout 2020.
Volkswagen will launch the 190kW V6 Amarok in 2020. Image: QuickPic
Q1: January - March
Almost as silently as electric cars are, VW availed a small number of electric Golfs to motoring and lifestyle media. The e-Golf, as it’s known, will not be sold in SA, but will rather be used to gain valuable consumer information on South Africa’s uptake of electric vehicles. As it stands, VW’s ID.3 electric vehicle will join the e-Golf as part of the research program during Q4 of this year, but will also not go on sale.
READ: e-Golf arrives in South Africa, but won’t be sold locally - Volkswagen explains why
VW will also be launching its new EasyDrive Vehicle Plans. Known previously as Volkswagen Automotion Plans, EasyDrive can be purchased for VW vehicles not older than 10 years and with a mileage of not more than 300 000km. In essence, EasyDrive is a fully comprehensive maintenance plan that’s available to both new and used VW vehicles.
On 19 March, VW will reveal its new GTC race car.
2020 Volkswagen e-Golf. Image: QuickPic
Q2: April - June
Q2 will perhaps be the busiest for VWSA, as no less than six events are penned in. Kicking of the second quarter is the Vivo Nation Festival 3.0. Now in its third year (hence 3.0), the Festival is a celebration of the Polo Vivo’s sales success in South Africa. Last year, the Vivo sold a massive 29 618 units, making it the second best-selling vehicle locally after the Toyota Hilux (40 934 units).
The automaker will also launch its We Connect Go app. This new system will allow the automaker to be more in tune with VW owners, while giving owners the chance to capture their driving data and, in so doing, get a better understanding of their vehicles.
On the product front, the T-Roc will premier in the quarter, while we’ll also see both the T-Cross 1.5 TSI and 1.0 70kW making their debut.
The undoubted highlight of the second quarter will be the launch of the new Golf GTI TCR. Only 300 units are destined for South Africa, and units 298, 299 and 300 have already been purchased by VWSA.
Q3: July - September
The third quarter will see VWSA launch IQ.Drive. In short, this is the automaker’s name for its autonomous driving program and will see a five-stage rollout over the next few years. Starting with the ‘Assisted’ package, functions like front assist, lane assist, rear traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control will be standard on all models. The other four phases comprise of partial Automation Conditional Automation, High Automation, and Full Automation.
The Volkswagen Sabbatical, an initiative aimed at supporting entrepreneurs, will make its return again this year. Connectivity 2/Wireless App-Connect will also see its arrival.
Expected over this period is the launch of the T-Roc, as well as a ‘Proudly South African Polo Vivo’. With regards to the latter, VWSA was pretty coy as to what the special Vivo entails, but we do know that it will be another flourishing sales success for the automaker.
Volkswagen T-Roc. Image: NewsPress
Q4: October - December, going into 2021
As alluded to earlier, the fleet of ID.3s will join the e-Golf in South Africa. Volkswagen did mention, however, that South Africa will not be left behind when its electric vehicles become more mainstream. At the moment, the vehicles are still too expensive to import, hence it’s only sold in first-world markets (like Europe, USA, UAE) - for now.
READ: The best VW Golf 8 images yet! Could this be the production-ready R-Line?
Two exciting new products will launch in the closing stages of the year, but the automaker is still having to decide which one will debut first and which will come in 2021. The new Golf 8 and Tiguan facelift are both scheduled to arrive around the same time, but market trends and the economy will determine the launch programme.
Which vehicle should Volkswagen SA launch first: Golf 8 or Tiguan facelift? Email us with your answer and reason.
