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2010... a year to remember

2010 to date has been a big year for South Africa and South Africans alike, with the much anticipated arrival of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup. The electric energy and positivity has been felt from Aliwal North to Zeerust, and most South Africans are overjoyed to have been part of the action. Did you feel it?

2010 was a big year for the Volkswagen brand too, celebrating the launch of the New Polo – the 2010 World Car of the Year – and the unique-to-South-Africa, Polo Vivo. Read about these award winning additions to the Volkswagen stable on pages 6 – 11 and pages 18 – 21. On pages 12 – 17 find out more about the New Polo launch in February at the Polo Skylab venues in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, which saw 8 300 people test drive and experience the New Polo. One of the most famous people on the planet, the first man to walk on the moon, Commander Neil Armstrong was a very special guest at the launch.

Five weeks later 6 500 guests celebrated the launch of the affordable and exciting new Polo Vivo in serious style at the Sun City Superbowl. Read more about this one-of-a-kind launch on pages 22 – 27. Westlife, Kelly Clarkson, Big Nuz, Freshlyground, TKZee, and The Parlotones completed the star studded billing at the biggest car launch South Africa has ever seen. What a start to the year!

Continuing the celebration theme, we observe some momentous accolades across a number of our brands – from the 2010 World Car of the Year for the South African built New Polo, to a spectacular hat trick finish for the Race Touareg at the 2010 Volkswagen Dakar Rally. We also follow the action at the Volkswagen South African Junior Masters. For the first time this international grassroots soccer development initiative saw 16 teams from all over South Africa compete for a place in the World Junior Masters in Madrid.

Also in this issue, we get up close and personal with Mark Bayly, host of M-Net’s All Access, and with Gareth Cliff, presenter of the oftentimes controversial but hugely popular breakfast show on 5fm. We rub shoulders with some of the brilliant minds of the design world at the 2010 Design Indaba in Cape Town.

We also take an extended trip to the magnificent desert plains of Namibia and the Wolwedans Dune Lodge on pages 58 – 65, and follow a 1971 Kombi on the ultimate family road trip around the Americas on pages 42 – 45.

May the rest of your 2010 be prosperous, happy, healthy, and most of all, warm! When next we meet the 2010 Soccer World Cup will be part of our history – and something we will never forget!

May you continue to ‘feel it’ for the rest of 2010.

Bridget Harris
Brand Manager, Volkswagen South Africa Download Editor's Letter as a PDF (unknown Bytes)

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the articles from this issue

• Top Gear

  New Polo. Shifting perspective.
  Introducing the New Polo, World Car of the Year 2010

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  New Polo. The final frontier
  A closer look at the Polo Skylab launch

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  Vivo! Polo Vivo!
  Discover so much to celebrate with the Polo Vivo

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  Polo Vivo Launch
  The Polo Vivo was launched at a star-studded concert at Sun City

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  Snow in Cape Town
  Behind the scenes of the New Polo television commercial

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  A piece of the action
  The inaugural Volkswagen South African Junior Masters soccer championship

  PDF Download (416 KB)

• At the Wheel

  Dakar 2010
  Volkswagen conquers Dakar with a tri-podium finish

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  Sharpen your skills
  Volkswagen Driving Academy launches a GTI Advanced Driving Course

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  A Kombi adventure across the Americas
  Journal from the ultimate road trip

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  From the Cliff side
  Talking to 5FM DJ, Gareth Cliff

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• Gear Change

  Not all talk
  Life in the fast lane with All Access presenter Mark Bayly

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  Design Indaba 2010
  Promoting positive change in the world through design

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  Sure thing
  Volkswagen Financial Services revamps Volkswagensure

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• Under the Bonnet

  And the winner is...
  The top 10 awards recently presented to Volkswagen

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• Travel and Adventure

  Daylight dreaming in Namibia
  Discover Namibia’s pure, still wilderness

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• Competition

  Dramatic and rugged Welgevonden
  Win a four-night stay for two in the Waterberg valued at R25 000

  PDF Download (317 KB)

• Tailpiece

  Down memory highway
  A light-hearted tale of childhood memories

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