Farewell, Polo: Pamplona to end production of Volkswagen Navarra icon

The latest addition to the Volkswagen Navarra range has yet to arrive – this week – and Polo has now become part of the sentimental history of an entire generation.. Who more or less, in this country many people have close people who or had pole -They left Landaben 8.4 million cars in forty years–; or assembled parts of Polo on a chain – the plant gives approximately 5000 direct jobs–; or worked for a subsidiary company that supplied parts for the Polo – the supplier network borders on 10,000 jobs–; or visited Polo Park as a child – which has been visited almost twice in 25 years 200,000 schoolchildren-.

It was the iconic Volkswagen Navarra. the model that put the plant on the mapthe one that helped us survive market crises and changes in mobility… and the one that is now about to be discontinued.

Make some space

The paradigm shift to electric forces us to free up space in Landaben, and the old Polo, the brand’s small bestseller that the German giant has already taken full advantage of, will be sacrificed. Landaben remains Taigo And T-Crossand from now on the remains of the Pole will be redirected to South AfricaPamplona began supplying poles to the entire market in 1992.

It’s not so profitable anymore. But one day he became the king of Navarre, his kingdom. Polo was Volkswagen’s bet. to give impetus to the global car fleet, which was experiencing a period of prosperity in the 1980s. The car has already reached almost all families and brands have begun to compete in price and characteristics. A slightly smaller car belongs to the B segment; For example, the Golf has a C- category, which means greater urban mobility, but with the guarantee of the German seal and a more affordable price than its direct competitor, the Audi 50.

On March 20, 1984, the first Polo of the second generation (A02) rolled off the production line at the Pamplona plant, then Seat. In the advertising of the time, it was promoted as “The youngest of the Volkswagens to meet current price requirements.technology, safety, power, performance and comfort.”

It was a bestseller from the start, and the A02 took a decade to develop. Since then, Pamplona has produced five of the model’s six variants. No more, and this week Landaben bids farewell to the Polo.

The first car for the House of Mercy

It was a different world. Spain was going through the years of the first felipism and the race for EU and NATO; the world was shocked Michael Jackson’s Thriller; Iraq and Iran They were at war; the Pope John Paul II he excommunicated Nicaraguan priests for following liberation theory; a virus called HIV began to spread around the world; and the mark of a bitten apple, Manzanalaunched the first mass-produced computer.

In the midst of this excitement, the story of Polo in Navarre began: on Tuesday, March 20, it left the lines of Landaben. the first Polo made herewhere all the model’s modifications were made, with the exception of the initial A01 of 1975, up to the current A07. The final balance of polo shirts produced in Pamplona since then will exceed 8,421,932 units.

This first car was a gift House of Mercy Pamplona, ​​who returned it to the factory museum on March 15, 2002. This gesture was rewarded, and the factory gave them a Polo again, but a more modern one.

This car had a four-cylinder engine with a capacity of 1272 cm³, developing a maximum power of 55 hp at 5200 rpm, equipped with five-speed gearbox and reached a top speed of 154 km/h; Advertisements of the time suggested a price of 547,700 pesetas. At today’s exchange rate, that’s 3,291 euros.

Polo A02 (1984-1994) | “Bestseller” in Landaben

Polar lands. The Polo A02 had four-cylinder engines and a top speed of 154 kilometres per hour. Advertisements from the time offered it from 547,700 pesetas – today 3,291 euros – under the slogan “Volkswagen Polo”, which in Spanish means “let it go”. Advertisements described it as “the youngest Volkswagen, meeting modern requirements in terms of price, technology, safety, power, performance and comfort”. It left the factory for ten years and provided the solid start the factory needed.

Harlequin Polo (1994) | “All in Color” of the Nineties

3800 units. Color video clips of the 90s – this newspaper was also born in 94 with a color cover, the novelty – grunge aesthetics, innovative. The future was just around the corner, and Volkswagen released the Polo Harlequin, different parts of the body were painted in different colors. “The spirit of the 90s,” – said the advertising at the time. It was a limited version of the high-end Polo, of which only 1000 units were planned to be produced, but by 1998 there were 3800. A few years ago, some cars were still roaming around Pamplona.

Polo A03 (1994-2001) | Little gets older

The first one with four doors. The A02 became a phenomenon and the brand took a step forward. It launched the A03, almost two million of which were produced in Pamplona between 1994 and 2001. The car, more aerodynamic and with a wider range of colors, was available for the first time with four doors. Volkswagen chose the same body cut for all the brand’s cars. These were good years for the plant, which in 1999, together with the kings of Spain, opened the Polo Park, where almost 200,000 schoolchildren received training in road safety.

Polo A04 (2001-2009) | Towards the Model of the Future

Longer and more complex. On 13 October 2001, the last Polo A03 rolled off the assembly line, with someone attaching a broom to the end of the model. It was replaced by the A04, a completely new, longer and more sophisticated car, the first to increasingly resemble a Golf. This model continued to be the basis of Volkswagen Navarra, where the 4 millionth Polo was produced in September 2004. In January 2008, Landaben exclusively acquired a new variant of this model, the Polo Cross, a prelude to the record-breaking A05.

Polo A05 (2009-2017) | Car of the Year and Record of 2011

356 356 cars. In March 2009, the Polo A05 was launched, a 3.91-metre version that was a real boom in many ways. In 2010, it was voted European Car of the Year. And the following year, Landaben beat it in numbers: 356,356 units, the highest ever. In March 2012, the 6 millionth Polo was produced, in March 2015, the model celebrated its 40th anniversary, and in August, the 7 millionth Polo was produced in Pamplona, ​​a year before the A07 arrived in 2017. Incidentally, that same year, the last body shop was opened, costing 17 million euros.

Polo A07 (2017-2024) | Farewell to an Icon

You must “give way”. A car like the one in the miniature will one day this week end the Polo’s success story. Its circulation will exceed 8.4 million units. The A07 represents the demise of a model that can no longer compete in a segment where other brands have led, with another offer, especially a much more economical one – the Franco-Romanian Dacia Sandero, the best-selling car in Spain last year. At the factory, it will have to make room for the T-Cross, Taigo and future electric models.