- Russian Lada cars will be manufactured in Ethiopia for the African market
- Pakistani carmaker MCML has begun exporting SUVs to Africa
- Uber launches an electric bike fleet in Kenya, a first in Africa
- USA & Kenya Govt Signs Ksh.8.7 billion deal to power electric buses
- Iran strengthens Uganda-Kenya collaboration in the automotive industry
- Ford appoints Caetano as its official distributor in Kenya
- Kenyan President Launches Toyota Fortuner Assembly Plant in Mombasa
- Kenya's President, inaugurates the largest electric motorcycle assembly plant in East Africa.
- Kenya Aims to Host More Automakers
- Russian automakers are eyeing East African assembly plants
India Topped 2020 Vehicle Imports into South Africa despite Covid-19 Impact
India was the top country of origin for vehicle imports into South Africa despite the lengthy COVID-19 lockdowns and overall declines in vehicle sales in 2020, according to the latest 2021 auto report.
The Automotive Export Manual report released here on Friday by the Automotive Industry Export Council said that India has been established by several global brands as a production hub for entry-level and small vehicles, and most of the vehicles imported from India fell into these categories.
Volkswagen's Polo Vivo was the only vehicle in these segments that was manufactured locally in South Africa in 2020.
The 87,953 units imported from India accounted for 43.2 per cent of total passenger cars and light commercial vehicles imported by South Africa.
Nine of the top 10 selling vehicles in 2020 were South African-built passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. An interesting phenomenon is that South African motorists are more inclined to rather drive bakkies (pickups), which have both commercial and leisure vehicle applications, than passenger cars.
This was good news for Rajesh Gupta, CEO of Mahindra SA, the local subsidiary of the Indian automotive manufacturer.
The Mahindra Pik Up has been the fastest growing range of bakkies in the past three years.
There is a strong and growing bond between India and South Africa. Not only is trade between the two countries strong, but South Africa is a perfect springboard for Indian products into the rest of the continent.
This is especially true for our range of Pik Up models, which is assembled locally and exported to countries in the Southern African Development Community, Gupta told PTI.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, South African vehicle exports declined by a massive 115,804 units to 271,288 units in 2020, from the record 387,092 vehicles exported in 2019, with the export value declining by R26.8 billion from the R148.0 billion in 2019 to R121.2 billion in 2020.
Despite this, the report remained optimistic about the automotive industry for the current year, dependent on the actions of governments in response to the pandemic as well as the vaccine and how it is rolled out.
Posted on : 05 Dec,2023 | News Source : ABNews
Automart is Africa's leading directory and market news website for the automotive spare parts, automobiles and auto accessories industry | Kenya | Tanzania | Ethiopia
Exhibitions In Africa
- AUTOSPORT INTERNATIONAL SHOW 2024
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, United Kingdom - NORTHEAST INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW 2024
Rhode Island Convention Center Providence, Rhode Island, USA - GREATER MILWAUKEE AUTO SHOW 2024
Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee, WI, USA - TIRES & RUBBER 2024
Expocentr' Krasnaya Presnya Fairgrounds, Moscow, Russia