VWSA’s Factory Tour: A Must for Local Volkswagen Fans
VWSA has resumed their local factory tour, and it’s a must for local Volkswagen fans.
If you are a local Volkswagen fan, there are two pilgrimages you must make if you wish to be considered a diehard VW enthusiast.
The first is VDub Camp Fest, an annual, weekend-long celebration of all things VW, and the second is a tour of VWSA factory with a visit to the company’s AutoPavillion museum in Kariega (Uitenhage).
VWSA resumed their factory tours on 21 June following a two-year hiatus thanks to COVID-19, and the company welcomed a total 921 visitors in the first month of restarting their tours. The team behind the VWSA factory tour used the downtime productively, reinventing the experience for visitors and showcasing the most exciting aspects of VWSA’s world-class factory, including the production process that combines the efficiency of high-tech robots and the expertise of their production employees.
The tour, which takes visitors around the facility in an open-top 21 seater “train” is led by veteran guide Monwabisi Cekiso who will lead you through the ins and outs of VW production, together with Siphokazi Wonci, a relative newbie who joined VWSA as a trainee in their YES programme but stayed on to share Volkswagen story with visitors.
The second part of the VWSA experience that you must experience when taking the factory tour is a visit to VWSA’s AutoPavillion, where guests can gaze upon the variety of unique exhibitions on display. The exhibits include the “Meet the Freaks” display that encompasses the weird and wonderful products created by VW throughout their history. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can check out the 70 Years exhibition where you can take in the most prominent vehicles from VW’s seven decades of car production in South Africa.
With so much VW history on offer, the VWSA factory tour has another ace up its sleeve which will certainly sweeten the deal, it’s all free of charge. Yes, you read correctly, you can get up close and personal with the Polo and Polo Vivo production line, learn about your favourite brand and see tons of iconic vehicles all without paying a cent. The only catch is that you have to book your spot because, as you can expect, the tour is immensely popular, and certainly a must for anyone who loves VW and the role they’ve played in the history of South Africa’s automotive industry.You can find out more about the VWSA factory tour and AutoPavillion by visiting their website (www.autopavilion.co.za)
Do you want to own a Volkswagen that could’ve rolled out of that very same factory? Then check out the ClickaCar Virtual Showroom.