Volkswagen announces new factory in Kenya
12/09/2016
It will open a factory in Thika, near Nairobi, and use it to produce a model called the Polo Vivo, building up to a volume of 5,000 units per year. This will be Volkswagen’s third factory in Africa; it has a facility in South Africa (which already produces the Polo Vivo) and one in Nigeria.
The company will also establish a local training centre in Kenya to qualify production workers and provide further training.
“Kenya is one of Africa's emerging markets,” Volkswagen said on making the announcement. “The country plays a prominent role among East African nations and with a GDP of some $63 billion, it is one of the strongest economies in East Africa. Kenya is also an important transit country for trade throughout East Africa.”
A long tradition links Volkswagen and Kenya: back in the 1960s, Volkswagen assembled the Beetle in Kenya.
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya, at a ceremony to announce the new factory, with Thomas Schäfer, managing director of Volkswagen South Africa.
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