Mahindra makes its voice heard in Milnerton
SCW Group’s multi-franchise set-up in Milnerton in the Western Cape now also boasts a brand-new Mahindra dealership.
- Dealer News
- 11 December 2025
The auto battery parts joint venture between Volkswagen's PowerCo and Belgian materials firm Umicore has chosen Poland as the site for its first factory, the German automaker announced on 7 October, according to Reuters.
Through the R56 billion joint venture, dubbed Ionway, first flagged in December 2021, the companies are joining a number of European automakers that have brought battery supplies closer to home in the shift towards electric vehicles.
The Polish government is providing R99 billion in cash grants for the investment in the southwestern town of Nysa that will create around 900 jobs, it said.
Ionway wants to build up its annual production capacity by the end of the decade to around 160 gigawatt hours (GWh) a year – enough for 2.2 million electric vehicles.
PowerCo – whose Poland initiative comes after VW set out plans in April to invest up to R99 billion to build a car battery plant in Ontario, Canada – said it had decided on Poland because the location was strategically favourable, plus there was sufficient skilled labour and renewable energy sources for production.
Construction work will begin as soon as the permitting process is completed, it said.
Ionway is intended to supply PowerCo's European battery cell factories with key battery materials and to cover a large portion of PowerCo's needs in the European Union. In return, Umicore will receive secured access to an important part of Europe's demand for cathode materials for electric vehicles.
SCW Group’s multi-franchise set-up in Milnerton in the Western Cape now also boasts a brand-new Mahindra dealership.
The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the long-awaited semi-finalists for the 40th edition of the prestigious 2026 Car of the Year (COTY) competition, held annually since 1986.
According to a Reuters report, Ford and Renault have agreed to work together on a new generation of compact, lower-priced electric cars for Europe, while also expanding cooperation on commercial vans, as both manufacturers seek to defend their market positions against increasingly aggressive Chinese rivals.
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A light on my car’s dashboard came on, and instead of fixing the problem, I waited for the bulb to burn out. Crisis solved.
Jarod Kintz
According to a Reuters report, Ford and Renault have agreed to work together on a new generation of compact, lower-priced electric cars for Europe, while also expanding cooperation on commercial vans, as both manufacturers seek to defend their market positions against increasingly aggressive Chinese rivals.
As South Africa forges ahead in the automotive landscape, a notable divide has emerged in the growing realm of new-energy vehicles.
Kenya’s automotive industry recently made headlines when Tad Motors unveiled its first range of locally assembled electric vehicles (EVs), igniting discussions across Africa about the continent’s growing capacity for indigenous mobility solutions.