Rumours abound about Merc’s East London plant
More and more rumours are surfacing about the possible sale, or part sale, of Mercedes-Benz’s East London manufacturing plant.
- Industry News
- 11 March 2026
Stellantis South Africa has announced organisational changes for the Executive Committee with two new members joining.
Charl Timms (photo) has been appointed Commercial Director. He joins Stellantis from the BB Motor Group and was formerly the Director of Sales and Marketing for Nissan South Africa.
He is an established performer and business value creator with extensive experience in the entire spectrum of marketing and sales management, including strategic planning, branding and communications, as well as performance management. He has worked for leading automotive brands Nissan, Toyota and Suzuki in the MENA markets, South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.
Carl holds a master’s degree in Organisational Leadership together with multiple other industry-specific certifications. He has hands-on experience in increasing brand preference and value, sales volume, share and profitability through implementing defined market-required business plans.

The second appointment is Evanie Vather as the new Head of Customer Experience, Training and Dealer Network Development.
Evanie joins Stellantis after 19 years at Nissan South Africa, most recently responsible for Marketing & Sales Control & Finance transformation for Africa. With over 20 years’ experience in the automotive industry, she is a seasoned executive having held several positions in aftersales, sales, export operations, finance and strategic planning.
She is passionate about developing people and inspiring high-performance teams and has a solid background in strategic business and general management.
With vast exposure to Africa operations, she has experience in various roles and sectors, such as sales support, business and strategy planning, inter-company business, export business planning and operations, and aftersales business planning and support.
She has also acquired skills in new business development through the setting up of two assembly plants in Africa and key account management.
More and more rumours are surfacing about the possible sale, or part sale, of Mercedes-Benz’s East London manufacturing plant.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday (10 March) they would not let any oil and other related products out of the Middle East until United States (US) and Israeli attacks cease, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten to hit Iran "twenty times harder" if it blocked exports.
With tensions and conflict in the Middle East raising concerns about global energy supplies, attention has again focused on the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important oil shipping routes in the world.