New-vehicle sales notch up best month since October 2019, exports down 1.9%

July delivered the best monthly new-vehicle sales tally since October 2019, says naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. Last month’s new-vehicle sales, at 51 383 units, were up 15.6% compared... 

Cape Town notches up another record-breaking cruise season

Cruise Cape Town says it has seen the longest and most successful cruise season yet, with 83 ship calls, of which 11 were inaugural visits. March stood out as the strongest month, with 22 ship... 

Ford dearships set for R900m-plus investment

The Ford dealership network will see a R900-million-plus investment rollout over the next three years. The money will not be spent by Ford, but by its partners and dealership owners, such as Motus,... 

Kyalami in multimillion-rand upgrade in effort to host F1 race

Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit boss Toby Venter says he has received confirmation that the Federation International de l'Automobile (FIA) has accepted the final design proposals to upgrade the... 

Local government may soon have no choice but to buy electric buses – MAN SA boss

A strong global push towards using fully electric buses in cities, coupled with South Africa’s lethargic progress – if any – towards clean fuel, may soon leave local city councils with no... 

Logistical challenges, shortage of big contractors impacting construction in Africa – report

Logistical limitations and a lack of supply-chain capacity in the African construction market risk creating a barrier to investment, says a new report from global professional services firm Turner... 

Caetano group takes over JMC brand in SA, readies for bakkie, truck range launch

Salvador Caetano Auto South Africa (SCA SA) has taken over as the official distributor of China’s Jiangling Motors Corporation (JMC). SCA SA is a subsidiary of the global Salvador Caetano Group,... 

Masterplan development on the cards for Namibia–Western Cape hydrogen pipeline

Namibiaʼs Green Hydrogen Mid-Year Review 2025 reports that a conceptual master plan for the cross-border hydrogen pipeline between South Africa and Namibia will be developed between the middle of... 

Western Cape government launches R2bn-plus Founders Garden Development

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and Western Cape Minister of Infrastructure Tertuis Simmers have unveiled the Founders Garden inner-city, mixed-use, affordable housing development in the Cape Town... 

President acknowledges that auto industry is under growing pressure

South Africa’s automotive sector is under “growing pressure”, writes President Cyril Ramaphosa in his weekly newsletter. He states that incrementally stricter vehicle emission regulations in the... 

SA’s fully electric fleet to reach 25 500 cars by 2030 – report

The projected passenger electric vehicle (EV) fleet in South Africa by the beginning of 2030 will be 25 456 vehicles, representing only 0.3% of the expected passenger vehicle population in South... 

Global EV sales set for record year, emerging market sales booming – BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF’s (BNEF’s) yearly ‘Electric Vehicle Outlook’ study expects nearly 22-million battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales – EV sales – this year, up 25% from last year, as the... 

Chery South Africa conducts feasibility study on establishing a local plant

Chinese importer Chery South Africa (SA) is in the midst of a feasibility study to determine if it will establish an assembly plant in the country. “Given Chery’s rapid growth in the South African... 

City of Cape Town to procure 30 electric buses from Volvo

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) will procure 30 fully electric buses from Volvo Bus Southern Africa for its MyCiTi bus service, following an open-market tendering process. The first buses are... 

US tariff shock a ‘socioeconomic crisis in the making’, warns naamsa CEO

Vehicle exports from South Africa to the US dropped by 73% in the first quarter of the year, declining by a further 80% and 85% in April and May respectively, says naamsa | the Automotive Business... 

Electric motorbike sales growing rapidly, total bike market could reach 12-year high

Based on national traffic information system data, the first electric motorbikes – 22 in total – were registered and sold in South Africa in 2014, says Association of Motorcycle Industry... 

Motor-body-repair sector training reform has value, but cut the red tape – Sambra, RMI

The South African Motor Body Repairers’ Association (Sambra), in partnership with the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), is intensifying its efforts to address the critical shortage of... 

African auto industry body appoints component-focused project manager

The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has appointed Cabral Ngubane as its new project manager focused on expanding the manufacturing of components for original equipment... 

Volvo Car South Africa welcomes new MD

Volvo Car South Africa (VCSA) has welcomed Grant Locke as its new MD. VCSA says Locke is tasked to drive the company’s growth strategy, network expansion plans and customer experience in a rapidly... 

Cape Town notches up another record-breaking cruise season

Cruise Cape Town says it has seen the longest and most successful cruise season yet, with 83 ship calls, of which 11 were inaugural visits. March stood out as the strongest month, with 22 ship... 

R900m-plus investment rollout on the cards for Ford dealership network

The Ford dealership network will see a R900-million-plus investment rollout over the next three years. The money will not be spent by Ford, but by its partners and dealership owners, such as Motus,... 

June new-vehicle sales jump by 18.7% as imports also soar

June new-vehicle sales, at 47 294 units, were up 18.7% compared with the same month last year, “reflecting a sustained and broad-based recovery in consumer and fleet demand”, says naamsa | The... 

Automotive sector facing decline as SA’s infrastructure decay comes home to roost – Barnes

The fundamental challenge many vehicle assembly operations in South Africa currently face is that their operations are becoming less vital to the success of their parent companies. This is linked... 

TRAC concession kicks off R1bn construction drive

Trans African Concessions (TRAC) this month kicks off roughly R1-billion in upgrade and rehabilitation work on the N4. The N4 toll route is a build-operate-transfer road, and is about 570 km long.... 

Hisense SA grows its TV, fridge output, seeks more local suppliers

Hisense South Africa (SA) deputy GM Luna Nortje says there is potential at the television (TV) and refrigerator assembler to increase the local sourcing of electronic components, compressors,... 

Chery set to bring the iCAUR electric brand to SA next year

Chery South Africa says it will add the iCAUR electric brand to its local portfolio next year. The announcement follows the brand’s local reveal at the 2025 Festival of Motoring. 

Local government may soon have no choice but to buy electric buses – MAN SA boss

A strong global push towards using fully electric buses in cities, coupled with South Africa’s lethargic progress – if any – towards clean fuel, may soon leave local city councils with no... 

US tariff shock a ‘socio-economic crisis in the making’, warns naamsa CEO

Vehicle exports from South Africa to the US dropped by 73% in the first quarter of the year, declining by a further 80% and 85% in April and May, respectively, says naamsa | the Automotive Business... 

Global EV sales set for record year; emerging market sales booming – BloombergNEF

BloombergNEF’s (BNEF’s) yearly ‘Electric Vehicle Outlook’ study expects nearly 22-million battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle sales – EV sales – this year, up 25% from last year, as the... 

Cape Town eases zoning rules to spur selected backyard housing developments

Cape Town’s City Council has approved a number of changes to the Municipal Planning By-law (MPBL) in a move it believes will make it easier to develop and build affordable housing, especially in... 

Assembly plant volume cuts happening all too often, says Naacam as Merc suspends production

National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (Naacam) CEO Renai Moothilal says production plant volume cuts have become all too common in South Africa’s vehicle assembly... 

City of Cape Town to procure 30 electric buses from Volvo

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) will procure 30 fully electric buses from Volvo Bus Southern Africa for its MyCiTi bus service, following an open-market tendering process. The first buses are... 

Hino recalls more than 6 600 trucks; VW, Volvo on the lookout for faulty Golfs, XC90s

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has received recall notifications from Volkswagen, Volvo Cars and Toyota in South Africa. Toyota is recalling 6 662 Hino 500 SKD series trucks and 77 Hino 500... 

Chery South Africa conducts feasibility study on establishing a local plant

Chinese importer Chery South Africa (SA) is in the midst of a feasibility study to determine if it will establish an assembly plant in the country. “Given Chery’s rapid growth in the South African... 

TRAC concession kicks off almost a billion rand in construction work in July

Trans African Concessions (TRAC) this month kicks off roughly R1-billion in upgrade and rehabilitation work on the N4. The N4 toll route is a build-operate-transfer road, and is about 570 km long.... 

Chery South Africa to expand line-up with new Lepas sub-brand in 2026

Chery South Africa will launch a new sub-brand in South Africa next year – Lepas. The Chinese importer says the new marquee will “introduce a fresh perspective on what a premium sports-utility... 

Cape Town’s own-build solar plant on track for year-end completion

The City of Cape Town’s Atlantis solar PV plant has, to date, seen the installation of around 2 400 solar panels out of the planned 12 850 panels as part of this R200-million renewable-energy... 

South Africa’s freight system stabilising, but no ‘kumbaya moment’ yet 

South Africa’s efforts to restore its logistics infrastructure have seen it stabilise the system, but not yet execute a big leap forward. This was the consensus among members of a panel speaking on... 

Transnet Engineering sets R1bn turnover goal for burgeoning maritime division

Transnet operating division Transnet Engineering (TE) aims for its relatively new maritime business to reach R1-billion in turnover in the next eight to ten years, says TE manufacturing and ports... 

Auto sector facing decline as SA’s infrastructure decay comes home to roost – Barnes

The fundamental challenge many vehicle assembly operations in South Africa currently face is that their operations are becoming less vital to the success of their parent companies. This is linked...