Will the Volkswagen Citi Vivo Be A Future Classic?

It’s funny how things work. One moment everybody has a Citi Golf, the next moment an enthusiast will battle to find some original examples. By “original example” I don’t mean any random Citi Golf as you can easily locate one on most classified websites. I’m referring to the legendary Citi Golfs that donned the red, yellow and blue paintwork, the same one your parents used to have (probably). Growing up I saw many examples of these but now the one’s you find are generally in remote towns owned by people who won’t let them go. Which brings us to the somewhat reincarnation of this car. Yes Volkswagen want to pull on some South African heart strings by introducing a Citi Vivo, the same concept of the Citi Golf but just in a Vivo.

Like the Citi Golf, the Vivo is a car that is everywhere in South Africa, no matter where you are. So much so, they’ve been sort after cars by “baddies” for a very long time. The Citi Vivo is based on the 1.4 55kW variant and it will have some white wheels to match the white mirrors on the car, similar to how the Golf’s were dolled up decades ago. Again like the Golf, you can get it in red, yellow and blue. The question is then, will this Vivo be a car we’ll battle to find in the next few decades? This may sound silly but with only 2000 units being planned by VWSA, there won’t be too many around to begin with. What most South Africans loved about the Citi Golf was how simple the car was and how easy it is to maintain. The Polo Vivo will be seen in the same light in a few decades, especially considering how complex entry level cars are becoming. Who knows, but maybe one day the Citi Vivo will be the retro hatchback we’ll look at and think “those were good times”, like how people in their 40’s look at Cape Town hipsters who drive Citi Golfs now.

Personally I think the Citi Vivo is a very cool throwback at how awesome South African car culture is. Our buying nature has for a long time forced the likes of VW to make something special for us. It’s cool because we don’t merely see cars as a means of transport, we see them as our identity. How better to show people that you’re young wild and free through a brightly coloured car with white wheels? My advice to potential Citi Vivo owners? Keep the car, you may have something super cool to pass down to your kids one day.