BAIC Foton trains African dealer teams in South Africa

The Africa Regional Training Centre opened on 27 October 2026, with its first session held the same day, ahead of the BAIC Foton Africa Partners Conference.

Wu Zongtian, President of BAIC Foton International, puts the focus on fleet operators. “For a fleet operator, a truck waiting for a diagnosis or a part is a truck that cannot earn revenue,” he says. “The centre will give our dealer teams practical training on the vehicles they service, so they can diagnose faults with greater confidence and get customers back on the road sooner.”

The programme combines classroom instruction with practical training in fault diagnosis and repair. It will also help dealers plan spare parts stock, standardise maintenance procedures and improve response times. South Africa will serve as the base for training dealer and service teams from across African markets.

The facility covers 900 m², split equally between classroom and practical space. The two classrooms seat 80 and 24 people respectively, while the workshop has five dedicated training areas. These cover complete vehicles, engines, transmissions, electrical and electronic systems, and new energy vehicles.

The centre follows nearly 100 specialist training sessions held by BAIC FOTON across its global markets from the start of 2026 to the opening. The company has also established local vehicle manufacturing in Gqeberha.

The centre opens in an industry that naamsa’s 2026 Automotive Trade Manual says accounted for 5.2% of South Africa’s GDP in 2025. Vehicle and component manufacturing generated 23.8% of domestic manufacturing value added.