Volkswagen inaugurates its first plant in Kenya

Volkswagen inaugurated a vehicle production facility in Kenya yesterday. Together with the president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, was present when the first locally produced Polo Vivo rolled off the production line.

With the CKD production of the bestselling car model in the sub-Saharan region, Volkswagen says it is stepping up its commitment to Africa. This is a key step in the development of new opportunity markets – with the right products, local partners and training in the region.

At the inauguration, Diess underlined Kenya's key role within the Volkswagen brand's Africa strategy: "After over 60 years of Volkswagen vehicle production in South and North Africa, I am delighted to now have a further site in Kenya. We will systematically continue to develop our position in the fast-growing African car market."

In addition to vehicle production, Volkswagen will be offering Kenyan customers a comprehensive package including a manufacturer's guarantee as well as a maintenance and service plan. Financing schemes will be developed together with local banks in order to allow individual mobility and to provide Volkswagen with the impetus it needs for its re-entry to the Kenyan market.

Third Volkswagen production plant in Africa

The joint project implemented together with DT Dobie in Thika near to the Kenyan capital Nairobi is Volkswagen's third production plant in Africa, together with one plant in South Africa and one in Nigeria. In the initial phase, annual production of up to 1,000 vehicles is planned. In the long term, it will be possible to produce up to 5,000 units per year at the plant of Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers (KVM). The assembly facility is flexibly designed and offers the possibility of investigating the production of further models in the event of positive developments in the new car market. In addition, the Volkswagen Group recently announced plans to start vehicle production in Algeria.  

For the start of production at Thika, the employees are being trained by Volkswagen Group South Africa. This will ensure that all vehicles have constant high quality levels. Volkswagen is also investigating possible approaches for the establishment of a sustainable, practically oriented training initiative. Apart from school or academic training, young people are also to receive practical training in order to improve their employment prospects in the region as a whole.

Kenya is an opportunity market in Africa. The country has an outstanding position within the region of East Africa and has the most powerful economy in the East African Community (EAC) with a GDP of about US $63 billion. In addition, Kenya is a key transit country for trade throughout East Africa. The good economic relations between Kenya and Germany are also being continuously and strategically expanded by the governments concerned.

Volkswagen had already assembled the Beetle in Kenya in the 1960s. The Volkswagen brand is now returning to Kenya with its first model, the Polo Vivo.