President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed strong confidence in South Africa's automotive industry, stating it is making crucial investments to build resilience and lead the transition to green mobility despite mounting global pressures.
In his weekly newsletter this week, Ramaphosa emphasized protecting existing automotive jobs as paramount, particularly with looming US tariffs threatening the sector. He stressed the urgent need to diversify export markets, committing to work with industry players to expand their continental presence and leverage existing trade relationships within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
The sector's economic impact is substantial, supporting more than 115 000 direct manufacturing jobs and over 500 000 positions across the value chain, while contributing approximately 5.3% to the country's GDP. Currently, exports account for around two-thirds of local vehicle production.
However, Ramaphosa acknowledged significant challenges ahead, including new emissions regulations in key markets like the European Union and fresh USA tariffs. The global shift from internal combustion engines toward hybrid and electric vehicles has made green mobility increasingly critical for manufacturers.
The recent launch of BMW's new X3 plug-in hybrid at the company's Rosslyn plant in Tshwane highlighted this transition. South Africa serves as the exclusive global production site for this model, representing what Ramaphosa called "a welcome signal to investors that South Africa remains a favourable place to do business."
Hyundai Automotive South Africa has reaffirmed that the Hyundai Grand i10 complies with all safety and homologation requirements applicable in South Africa, as stipulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
Canada’s efforts to reduce its dependence on its southern neighbour, the United States, have gained fresh momentum with the announcement of a deal with China that will see tariffs on electric vehicles from the Asian giant significantly reduced.
The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has declared a dispute against Motus Retail, South Africa’s largest automotive retail group, following the company’s announcement of planned salary and benefit reductions affecting 532 employees.
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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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Hyundai Automotive South Africa has reaffirmed that the Hyundai Grand i10 complies with all safety and homologation requirements applicable in South Africa, as stipulated by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has declared a dispute against Motus Retail, South Africa’s largest automotive retail group, following the company’s announcement of planned salary and benefit reductions affecting 532 employees.
Nissan has announced a series of senior management changes in its Africa, Middle East, India, Europe & Oceania (AMIEO) region.
