The death of the electric car, although it has been received with cheers at the Volkswagen Group plants in Spain —it is official that Landaben (Navarra) and Martorell (Barcelona) will receive the production of urban electric models in the middle of the decade— implies that electric cars combustion engines that are assembled there will also have to make way for their zero-emission successors.
This inevitably supposes that the Volkswagen Polo puts an end to its history in the northern plant, which began in 1984 and would close its European chapter after four decades. However, it is expected that the subcompact will continue to be manufactured at the consortium’s factory in Kariega (South Africa).
Today, Landaben builds three models based on the same platform: the T-Cross SUV, the Taigo SUV coupe and the Polo subcompact, which, despite having more seniority than the other two, receives fewer orders and leaves fewer margins. of benefit to the brand than its chain brothers, which began production in 2018 and 2021, respectively.
Of the 290,000 units that Landaben is expected to produce in 2022 —an increase of 31% compared to 2021 figures—, it is estimated that the T-Cross and the Taigo account for approximately 50% and 30%, respectively, while the Polo is reduced to the remaining 20%.
Therefore, since the arrival of the Taigo, which coincided with the restyling of the Polo, it was expected that the subcompact would be left with increasingly residual productions. The final date of its end has not yet been confirmed by the company, but ‘La Tribuna de Automoción’ dates 2024 as the final year of the Polo, thus marking exactly 40 years since its production began.
Volkswagen Group’s industrial planning rounds are held at the end of each year and typically determine which plants receive which models and how the manufacturer’s funds will be distributed. A year ago it was determined that the Spanish plants would receive zero emission urban models “linked to the allocation of public funds.”
Round number 71 corresponds to 2022 and the end of the Polo will be finalized in PR 72, at the end of 2023. Then the award of the electric models they will receive will be announced, which are expected to be compact SUVs from the brands Volkswagen and Skoda, while Martorell will receive that of Cupra.