One of the biggest successes of VW South Africa was a SEAT: Introducing the Polo Beach

Volkswagen is a brand that has always taken advantage of opportunities as they arrived. SEAT instead is a company that relies too heavily on the decisions of others and perhaps because their future has been in question for many years, which fortunately now seems to be far away.

The fact is that Volkswagen has for many years been a leader Toyota sales with the South African market, a priori, something that should not call attention too. It is fair to say that in South Africa a large number of vehicles sold per year, with the country on the continent with more quota.

For a few years Volkswagen had the need to get a versatile product that could get the colors to Japanese firms by price, rather than with the Polo did not fully achieve being expensive to produce. What was the solution? SEAT Ibiza rob, make three or four cosmetic changes and install a more modern dashboard.

The trading result was immediate and for many years managed to become one of the most successful models of the South African market with similar figures to reaching the Toyota Tazz (a Corolla something old). The problem is that SEAT never got this something good for them because the mark did not appear anywhere.

The oddest thing about all this is that in 2006 SEAT tried to gain a foothold in South Africa launched the Ibiza, Leon and Altea. His position did not finish convince users to be more expensive than equivalent products and clear Volkswagen, although it was a new firm in the country also have internet and know what place the Spanish brand in Europe. This action saw it as something negative, not wanting to pay more for a product in principle lower and at the end of 2008 ceased its activity.

This an inferior product to be qualified as the Polo manufactured in South Africa does not have the same quality of realization that leaving Pamplona facilities. Glancing more in depth was true that Ibiza Spaniards were at a higher step but the image of SEAT has never been above the Volkswagen even though in some markets has tried to get this (Mercosur and China are other examples of commercial failure by poor positioning).

I could have tried SEAT is making at least Ibiza in South Africa, managing to win the quota needed to maintain the network of dealers and import other products. We all know that having a car is well positioned feasible to sell imported more expensive, making the viability of the network with the domestic product.

The Volkswagen Polo Playa marketed between 1996 and 2002 with familiar engines 1.4 MPI 60 and 75 hp, and a 1.6 MPI 100 hp that gave life to the most prestacionales versions. It was only sold with five-door body and coexisted with the third generation Polo offers more space at a lower price.

While its exterior is a Ibiza full-fledged second installment except for the tailgate, drivers and front grill, inside from 1998 there was nothing to remember the original, borrowing the same dashboard of the Lupo / Polo of that time with better looking and more attractive distribution controls.

Another important curiosity is that the Polo Beach has been a favorite for the South African public lover tuning, something that has also happened with the variants of SEAT sold cars in many other regions. Will the meat Ibiza modifications? It seems so regardless of the brand that is sold.

Additionally, if you need to purchase some of the car parts, you could search at Banggood, which is one of the wholesale platform to provide you the low prices, such as, vw golf grille, mini cooper key fob replacement, etc.