THE INTRODUCTION of the VW Polo Classic motor vehicle to the South African market has been a major boost to this country's imports from Spain.
This is revealed in the latest import and export figures for trade between the two countries.
It shows what Sebastian Moll de Alba, owner's representative for Consortium Hispania Lines, S.A. has described as a very healthy trend in the two-way trade with key industries from both countries involved. Imports increased from R800-m in 1995 to R1,1 billion last year, but the most remarkable figure was the leap from 10th position to top role in motor vehicle body, parts and accessories category.
This totalled R150-m involving, in the main, the assembly kits for the Polo Classics, which are sent to Uitenhage, and the imports of the gearboxes for the VW Chico series.
In both cases VWSA state that it is cheaper to import these from their Spanish subsidiary, SEAT, rather than from Germany.
Mining products continue to top the export drive to Spain, with coal, bituminous coal and ferro-chromium heading the list. Other major South African exports include fresh fish, filtering apparatus for gases and papers.
South Africa exported a total of R2billion worth of goods to Spain last year.
