South Africa will remain as part of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for the time being, benefitting the country’s vehicle and automotive part exports.
Under AGOA, more than 1 800 South African products and goods were exported to the United States duty-free.
This decision was welcome by amongst others, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), stating that the suspension of AGOA severely impacted South Africa's vehicle and part exports in 2025, plummeting by 55% to 80% year-on-year, falling from R26.5 billion (Jan-July 2024) to R9.8 billion in 2025.
Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, says from the beginning of August 2025, South Africa was subjected to a 30% blanket tariff, which further increased the cost for US businesses importing vehicles from South Africa. This put South Africa at a significant disadvantage compared to other countries exporting vehicles to the United States, which only pay 25%.
Dawie Roodt, Founder and Chief Economist of the Efficient Group, told MISA that it is in the best interest of the South African automotive industry to be included in AGOA. “This means that Government should remain neutral on international issues where the US are involved instead of taking an opposing position in the best interest of the economy,” he says.
The South African Government is accused of pursuing a balancing act, trying to mend relations with the US while embracing its enemies. Dawie believes that nothing prevents President Donald Trump from revising South Africa’s position or excluding industries in the short extension period till December 2026.
Political analyst Professor Piet Croucamp disagrees. He believes that Trump is using trade to punish South Africa, using tariffs as a type of sanction for what he is led to believe about the country, the alleged white genocide being the driving factor.
“There is nothing wrong with South Africa’s foreign relationships. The country’s relationship with Iran for example, is insignificant when compared to other countries,” Piet says.
South Africa’s relationship with the US worsened after hosting Iran in long-planned naval exercises off its coast recently.
Audi South Africa has introduced the new Q5 range, comprising the third-generation Q5 SUV, second-generation Q5 Sportback, and the performance-focused SQ5 SUV and SQ5 Sportback. The range is built on Audi's Premium Platform Combustion and brings a new generation of petrol and diesel engines to the nameplate.
Geely Auto South Africa (GASA) has introduced Riddara, Geely Auto Group's new energy bakkie brand, to the South African market.
Ford’s next big electric vehicle push is less about a dramatic new badge and more about what happens behind factory doors.
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The Toyota Starlet has improved from zero to a four-star rating for adult occupant protection in Global NCAP's latest #SaferCarsForAfrica crash test results. This follows a safety upgrade to make six airbags a standard fit.
South Africa's new vehicle market sustained strong momentum in August 2026, with aggregate sales increasing by 11,4% year-on-year to 57 898 units, says the Automotive Business Councill | naamsa.
South Africa’s new-vehicle market maintained its momentum in August, with aggregate sales of 57 898 units representing an increase of 11.4% compared with the same month last year.
