Despite potential headwinds, South Africa’s automotive industry remains committed to long-term growth and resilience.
As the Automotive Business Council (naamsa) celebrates its 90th anniversary, this milestone highlights the industry’s remarkable adaptability. The pace of change in the next decade is expected to surpass anything witnessed in the past nine decades, driven by economic shifts, rapid technological advancements and evolving consumer trends.
The post-pandemic recovery in vehicle sales affirms the sector’s ability to weather economic cycles, with agility playing a key role in sustaining future growth, naamsa says during its comment on the March new-vehicle sales figures that were just released and show some positive trends.
Reinforcing its commitment to industry transformation and strategic collaboration, naamsa announced that the 2025 SA Auto Week [SAAW] would be hosted in the Eastern Cape from 1 to 3 October 2025 under the theme, “Reimagining the Future, TOGETHER: Cultivating Inclusive Growth and Shared Prosperity”.
SAAW 2025 aims to mobilise new investments into the auto sector, fostering growth and reindustrialising South Africa’s manufacturing base.
As South Africa’s premier automotive conference, SAAW 2025 will convene key stakeholders – including auto professionals, global vehicle OEMs, component manufacturers, regulators, policymakers, investors, business and political leaders, as well as decision-makers from around the world – to drive innovation, strengthen global partnerships and shape the future of the industry in an evolving economic landscape, naamsa states.
As fuel prices continue to climb across South Africa, many motorists are beginning to question whether owning a car still makes financial sense. With in-land petrol prices now at R26.63 a litre and diesel costs rising sharply in May, transport expenses are placing growing pressure on household budgets.
Pinewood.AI has added two new embedded modules to its Business Intelligence Solution, giving dealers and OEMs greater insight into financial performance and the customer journey, it says.
Two new off-grid, solar-powered charging stations for electric vehicles (EV) have been switched on as part of the Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) network.
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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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Pinewood.AI has added two new embedded modules to its Business Intelligence Solution, giving dealers and OEMs greater insight into financial performance and the customer journey, it says.
Margins are shrinking, customers are under financial strain, and competition is intensifying across South Africa’s motor retail sector. Against this backdrop, dealerships are being forced to rethink how they remain profitable while still building customer trust and long term sustainability.
Ford will launch seven new models in Europe by 2029, it announced recently, as it seeks to grow its flagging passenger car sales, fend off fierce competition from Chinese rivals and maintain an edge in the continent's commercial vehicle market.
