Port of Maputo notches up record volumes

The Port of Maputo last year moved record volumes, handling a total of 32-million tons – a 3.4% increase compared with the previous year’s 30.9-million tons. The Maputo Port Development Company... 

Still at number one, Toyota sees growing sales, despite onslaught from China

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) last year retained its long-standing number-one position in the domestic new-vehicle market, with total sales of 148 124 units – a 15.1% jump from the 128 663 unit... 

Don’t protect vehicle assembly sector to the detriment of the retail sector, warns MISA

South Africa must strike a balance between protecting its automotive manufacturing sector against the impact of imported vehicles from China and India, while not hampering the growth of its retail... 

SA mobility guild announces 2026 Car of The Year finalists

The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the 18 finalists for the 2026 South African Car of the Year (COTY) competition. The competition is 40 years old this year, with... 

Cape Town banks R412m in performance grant funding from National Treasury

National Treasury has awarded Cape Town R412-million in performance grant-funding as part of the newly-introduced Metro Trading Services Reform grant. This funding is provided in recognition of... 

Cape Town issues four new tenders for housing developments

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has issued four new tenders for the construction of “affordable, residentially-led, mixed-used developments” on parcels of land released by the city. CoCT calls on... 

Parliamentary portfolio committee calls for deeper localisation in auto sector; more local public procurement

The parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition has called for “deeper localisation, job creation and meaningful transformation” in South Africa’s automotive industry. This... 

As SA’s auto makers struggle, there is ‘no choice’ but to hike tariffs on vehicle imports

The South African government will have no choice but to impose antidumping duties on imported vehicles, says Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi. Godlimpi on Tuesday... 

R1.2bn project to revamp Cape Town’s Golden Acre gathering steam

The R1.2-billlion project to redevelop Cape Town’s well-known Golden Acre is gathering steam, with construction work in full swing to convert the 110-m-high, 24-storey office tower, located in the... 

Nissan South Africa’s Rosslyn plant to be sold to Chery

After nearly a year of rumours about its possible closure, the axe has finally fallen on Nissan’s assembly operations in Rosslyn, Pretoria. The Japanese group announced last year that it would... 

Nissan South Africa’s Rosslyn plant to be sold to Chery

After nearly a year of rumours about its possible closure, the axe has finally fallen on Nissan’s assembly operations in Rosslyn, Pretoria. The Japanese group announced last year that it would... 

European competition commission hands Metair subsidiary Rombat steep fine

Battery producer Rombat, a subsidiary of JSE-listed auto parts group Metair, has been handed a €20.2-million fine by the European competition authority. Metair’s Romanian subsidiary is one of... 

Chinese onslaught pushes ‘Big Six’ market share below 50%

The top six-selling light-vehicle brands in South Africa in the year 2000 were Toyota, Volkswagen, Nissan, Opel, Mazda and Ford. From the turn of the century to 2010, these six brands held 60% to... 

New-vehicle sales recover to above pre-pandemic levels, exports also in the green

The new-vehicle market finally recovered to above 2019, pre-pandemic levels in 2025, says naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. South Africa’s new-vehicle market reached 536 612 units in 2019. 

Growing Chinese vehicle sales translating into used-market volumes, with Chery leading the pack

The popularity of imported new Chinese vehicles in the South African market is starting to translate into tangible volumes in the used-car market for many of these brands, as indicated by data... 

Cape Town set to take over signal management at 32 Sanral-run intersections as it seeks greater efficiency

The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) Urban Mobility Directorate says it is awaiting council approval to sign a three-year agreement with South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) Western... 

Shoprite Group powers up its 100th solar installation; seeks more wheeling partners

Retail giant the Shoprite Group has powered up its 100th solar photovoltaic (PV) system – at Shoprite Morula in Tshwane – more than ten years after launching its first solar project in 2015. With... 

Metair unveils its new aftermarket parts and retail division

JSE-listed automotive group Metair has finalised the formation of its new aftermarket parts and retail division, in line with the group’s strategy of diversification through the establishment of... 

Mahindra sees record 2025 as sales surge by 40%

Mahindra South Africa (SA) notched up yet another record sales year in 2025 as the move to more affordable vehicles continued in the domestic market. The company sold 18 097 new vehicles, which is... 

Nelson Mandela Bay water crisis deepening as maintenance efforts fall short – business chamber

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has relaunched its Adopt A School initiative in reaction to “the rapid and ongoing loss of water in the metro”, which it says “is once again edging towards a... 

South African nitrogen fixation fertiliser manufacturer eyes the global stage

Custom Chemistry has managed to acquire 3% of the South African agricultural nitrogen fertiliser market in the past three years, says MD and chief scientist Gerhard Vermaak. “Our early-life... 

Isuzu Motors launches new commuter bus chassis for the local market

Isuzu Motors South Africa has launched the MVR bus chassis in South Africa, fitted with a Marcopolo Torino body. Designed as a dedicated commuter bus chassis, the local arm of the Japanese vehicle... 

Hydrogen set to keep on growing as fundamentals strengthen, China rapidly drives costs down

The hydrogen sector may have been in a hype cycle for the last few years, but the fundamentals around the global energy market have not changed – the need for clean and localised energy and a just... 

VSL Manufacturing opens R750m facility to supply Isuzu assembly plant

VSL Manufacturing (VSL) has started operations at its new, R750-million manufacturing facility adjacent to the Isuzu Motors South Africa (IMSAf) assembly plant in Struandale, Gqeberha. VSL is a... 

WBHO clinches deal to build R8bn Cape Winelands Airport

The Cape Winelands Airport has appointed Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) to take responsibility for the technical development and construction of its new R8-billion airport, set to be built in... 

Port of Maputo notches up record volumes

The Port of Maputo last year moved record volumes as it handled a total of 32-million tons – a 3.4% increase compared with the previous year’s 30.9-million tons. The Maputo Port Development Company... 

GridCars welcomes new investor…and ultrafast charging

Electric vehicle (EV) charging network operator GridCars has welcomed a new investor following Solareff’s departure late last year. The renewable-energy group sold its majority shareholding in... 

Still at number one, Toyota sees growing sales, despite onslaught from China

Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) last year retained its long-standing number-one position in the domestic new-vehicle market, with total sales of 148 124 units – a 15.1% jump from the 128 663... 

AAAM sets eight goals for 2026 as it seeks ‘measurable outcomes’

The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has set eight goals for the new year, says CEO Victoria Backhaus-Jerling. “As we enter 2026, we proudly declare this the year of... 

Volvo Car recalls 372 EX30s over battery concerns

The National Consumer Commission (NCC) has announced that Volvo Car South Africa (SA) is recalling 372 Volvo EX30 single-motor extended range and twin-motor performance vehicles, with the model... 

Lego adds electronic elements to its building blocks, enabling motion detection, sound tracks

Danish toymaker Lego this week unveiled three new electronic additions to its classic building blocks at the Consumer Electronics Show 2026, in Las Vegas, that can see some of its creations come to... 

New-vehicle sales recover to above pre-pandemic levels; exports also in the green

The 2025 new-vehicle market has finally recovered to above 2019 pre-pandemic levels, says naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. South Africa’s new-vehicle market reached 536 612 units in 2019. 

Motus cuts staff numbers at its retail division

JSE-listed automotive group Motus has confirmed that it is cutting staff at its South African retail division. The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) says the vehicle importer and retailer... 

Construction activity sees civil contractor sentiment jump to multiyear high

The First National Bank (FNB)/Bureau for Economic Research (BER) Civil Confidence Index rose to 52 in the fourth quarter of last year, up from 43 in the third quarter. This marks the joint best... 

European competition commission hands Metair’s Rombat steep fine

Battery producer Rombat, a subsidiary of JSE-listed auto parts group Metair, has been handed a €20.2-million fine by the European competition authority. Metair’s Romanian subsidiary is one of... 

Jaguar Land Rover turns to drones to conduct plant inspections

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is trialling drone technology at its Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) in Wolverhampton, in the UK. The British marque says the technology has the potential to... 

Meet the SA mechanical engineer who became a full-time violin maker

Somewhere in Linden, Johannesburg, Albertus Bekker is putting the finishing touches to a new violin after almost 150 hours of painstaking work. Bekker is what is known as a luthier – he handcrafts,... 

Biovac boosts vaccine capabilities with new lab, health tech park to open next door

Biopharmaceutical company the Biologicals and Vaccines Institute of Southern Africa (Biovac) has opened a product development laboratory at its Cape Town facility. The company says the new... 

Cape Town moves to beat the heat as it appoints its first Chief Heat Officer

Cape Town has become the first South African city to have a Chief Heat Officer (CHO). Cities such as Los Angeles and Athens already have CHOs. 

Meet the SA mechanical engineer who became a full-time violin maker

Somewhere in Linden, Johannesburg, Albertus Bekker is putting the finishing touches to a new violin after almost 150 hours of painstaking work. Bekker is what is known as a luthier – he handcrafts,...