Business at Ford’s manufacturing plant in Silverton Pretoria is getting back to normal but the risk of interrupted power supply remains, Ford says.
The problems arose when overhead powerlines collapsed over the N4 on 10 April after a huge storm that left large parts of Pretoria, especially in the eastern part of the city, without electricity. This included the Ford plant and related industries in the Ford supply chain.
Production was suspended on 11 April and restored in stages starting on the evening of April 12, when production has slowly resumed.
The estimated total loss of production during the down days was 1 440 units. and a dark picture of the impact of the shutdown for an extended period was sketched by Ford Africa’s president, Neale Hill.
Ford tells Dealerfloor that the scale of the Eskom infrastructure concern holds the risk of interrupted supply. “However, we continue to liaise with Eskom and local government as they work to balance the system and fully restore the network.”
The newly upgraded Silverton plant is currently the second largest in the world producing the new generation Ford Ranger as well as the Volkswagen Amarok, both for local consumption and export to more than 100 markets. More than 700 Ranger pick-ups are manufactured in Pretoria every day utilising three shifts working at the plant.
The Mazda brand has gained a solid footing in the Lowveld thanks to the dedicated customer care and service provided by Mazda Nelspruit to owners of the legacy Japanese brand in this part of the country over many decades.
GWM South Africa has introduced a new 3.0 litre turbodiesel engine across its line-up, fitting it to both the P500 bakkie and the Tank 500 SUV. The P500 becomes the first vehicle in the range to receive the new powertrain, while the Tank 500 gains a diesel alternative to its existing HEV derivative.
Affordability is driving a structural shift in South Africa’s vehicle market, with SUVs gaining significant ground as consumers increasingly seek competitively priced, well-equipped vehicles.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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