The Volkswagen Polo Playa is a supermini produced and sold in South Africa. From 1996 until 2002, it was a rebadged version of the SEAT Ibiza Mk2 five-door hatchback. A separate model, the Polo Mk3, was sold in most markets during this period - this model shared its mechanical components with the Ibiza and Playa, but in hatchback form, the body panels were all different. The Polo Playa and its sedan equivalent, the Polo Classic, were the first generation of the Polo to be sold in South Africa. The South African Polo Classic was likewise based on the SEAT Córdoba Mk1 four-door sedan.^[1] In 2002, it was replaced by the Polo Mk4, although the Polo Playa name was still used in South Africa for the Polo hatchback until 2006. There were three models, 1.4i, 1.6i and 1.8i, all of which were available with a 5-speed manual gearbox only.

Volkswagen Polo Playa, Volkswagen Polo Classic
Overview
Production	1996–2003
Assembly	Uitenhage, South Africa
Body and chassis
Class	Supermini
Body style	5-door hatchback (Polo Playa) 4-door sedan (Polo Classic)
Layout	Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
Platform	Volkswagen Group A03
Related	SEAT Ibiza Mk2 SEAT Córdoba Mk1
Powertrain
Engine	1.4 L I4 (petrol) 1.6 L I4 (petrol) 1.8 L I4 (petrol)
Power output	62 kW (83 hp; 84 PS) (1.4i) 74 kW (99 hp; 101 PS) (1.6i) 86 kW (115 hp; 117 PS) (1.8i)
Transmission	5-speed manual
Chronology
Successor	Polo Mk4

The name "playa" means beach in Spanish, which alludes to the fact that it's based on the Spanish SEAT Ibiza.