Fun Facts about the Volkswagen Saveiro

The Saveiro may just be one of the most unique creations in the history of Volkswagen. But since it was only native to South America, not much is known about it in Europe. So here are some facts about a Volkswagen you may not have known about.

It was a result of Brazil’s import laws

During most of the mid-to-late 20th century, Brazil’s import laws prevented fully built-up vehicles to be imported to the country. This meant that even by the 1980s, many light commercial vehicles in the country were makeshift and unreliable. Volkswagen saw an opportunity to provide a car in this segment and decided to build a small and light pickup truck based on the new Gol’s platform. It proved to be a major success with workers, due to its size, economy, cost and reliability

It was named after a fishing boat

VW Brazil named many of its cars after things close to the Brazilian culture and the Saveiro was no different. Keeping with the demographic of commercial vehicle users, VW Brazil decided to name its pickup after a traditional, wind-powered fishing boat. Interestingly, when the Saveiro came out many fishermen still used such fishing boats, so the truck was popular amongst them.

It was sold all across South America

Once the Saveiro become one of the bestselling vehicles in Brazil, Volkswagen decided to start selling it across South America as many other South American countries shared a similar working-class demographic to Brazil. It was most popular in Argentina and also in Mexico, where it was sold as the Pointer Pick-up.

The Saveiro outlasted the Gol

The Gol was discontinued in 2023, but the Saveiro continued to be sold in Brazil, with an update and a facelift in late 2023. This means that the Saveiro outlasted the car whose platform it is based on. However, since the Gol’s chassis will soon become outdated and with newer, larger pickup trucks now available in Brazil, the Saveiro’s days are numbered.