Cape Town adds 86 000 jobs in one year

The City of Cape Town has added 86 000 jobs in a year, reaching a record level of 1.827-million people now in jobs – this according to Statistics South Africa’s (StatsSA) Quarterly Labour Force... 

Nissan to close seven plants, not known if SA site will be affected

Nissan has announced that it will close seven plants out of a global network of 17 manufacturing sites, with 20 000 jobs on the line. It is not clear if the South Africa operation will be affected. 

Bank data reveals sharp rise in vehicle ownership cost

When combining the monthly instalment, fuel, insurance and running costs, the total price tag to own and run one of the best-selling new hatchbacks in South Africa comes to about R11 760.29 a... 

Booming Suzuki to build new head office and warehouse

Suzuki Auto South Africa (Suzuki SA), in partnership with real estate group Fortress, has broken ground on its new head office and distribution centre at Longlake Logistics Park, in Gauteng. The... 

DP World launches logistics, market-entry product for vehicle manufacturers

DP World has unveiled what it calls an integrated logistics and market-entry product aimed at solving the challenges automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs, or vehicle manufacturers)... 

Paruk group signs letter of intent to buy 100 made-in-SA electric MAN buses

The Paruk group of companies has signed a letter of intent to buy 100 made-in-South Africa MAN Lion’s Explorer E electric buses. The Paruk group is linked to Stabus and Gauteng Coaches. 

Ramaphosa seeks trillions from private sector as he acknowledges past infrastructure failures

As government prepares to spend more than R1-trillion on infrastructure over the next three years, President Cyril Ramaphosa wants the private sector to quadruple that to R4-trillion. “I want... 

Infrastructure SA unveils its seven priority projects for 2025/26

Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) has unveiled the seven projects it has selected under Bid Window 1 for priority project preparation. The list was announced at the Sustainable Infrastructure... 

Infrastructure SA preparing 34 projects to come to the market before end-2026

Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) is currently preparing and packaging 34 projects with an estimated capital value of R259-billion, says ISA acting head Mameetse Masemola, with these projects... 

Fiat launches a new half-tonner in Africa – but it may not be what you imagined

Fiat Professional has introduced its first-ever three-wheeled electric vehicle – the Tris – in Africa and the Middle East. Focused on tasks such as micro-transport and last-mile delivery – think... 

New-vehicle sales up 12% – but did consumers rush to beat the now scrapped VAT hike?

Total April new-vehicle sales, at 42 401 units, were up 11.9% compared with the same month last year, reports naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. The new-passenger-car market gained 16.9% in... 

Moody’s upgrades Cape Town’s credit rating

Moody's Ratings (Moody's) has upgraded the City of Cape Town’s credit rating from Ba3 to Ba2, with the outlook regarded as stable. Moody’s notes that the upgrade reflects what it calls the city’s... 

Resurgent Hyundai appoints new CEO, adds Alcazar to its model line-up

Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai SA), a Motus group company, has appointed company stalwart Stanley Anderson as its new CEO, effective July 1. Anderson currently serves as sales and... 

Ford is looking for 25 Rangers so it can repair a major defect

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa is looking for the owners of roughly 25 Ranger bakkies built between October 29, 2024, to November 07, 2024, at its Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria. The... 

Delta Automotive Technologies in Botswana aims to triple output by 2027

Delta Automotive Technologies (DAT) currently produces 120 vehicle wiring harnesses a day for Volkswagen in South Africa, with plans to nearly triple output for the carmaker by 2027. The company... 

Electric truck take-off requires two concessions from govt – Volvo Trucks SA MD

South African truck assemblers are lobbying for two concessions from government as the world increasingly moves to electric mobility, says Volvo Trucks South Africa (Volvo Trucks SA) MD Waldemar... 

MyCiTi’s multibillion-rand south-east route expansion moves to Claremont

Several construction projects that form part of the multibillion-rand rollout of the newest MyCiTi bus route in Cape Town are on track for completion from this year to 2027. Cape Town Mayor Geordin... 

Automotive policy roll-out, affordable mobility top list of priorities for new AAAM CEO

New CEO at the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), Victoria Backhaus-Jerling, says she has four main priorities for her tenure at the industry body. Before her appointment on... 

Nissan to close seven out of 17 plants, not known if SA site will be affected

Nissan said this week that it will close seven plants out of a global network of 17 manufacturing sites, with 20 000 jobs on the line. It is not clear if the South Africa operation will be affected. 

Audi blames economic pressure, poor govt support for market strain, MISA says four dealerships closing doors

Audi South Africa (SA) says buy-down trends, high inflation and interest rates have placed significant pressure on the domestic premium car market. The local arm of the German carmaker says these... 

Newcomer Jameel Motors to (re)introduce Changan cars, bakkies to the SA market

Distribution group Jameel Motors will launch China’s Changan vehicles in the local market towards the end of the year. Technically, Changan Automobile is not an entirely new face in South Africa,... 

Mahindra hits second sales record this year

Mahindra bakkie and sports-utility vehicle sales jumped to 2 253 vehicles in March, setting a new monthly record for the Indian brand. This number is almost 40% higher than Mahindra’s previous... 

TNPA finally upgrades automotive berth at East London port

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has completed a R60-million project to deepen and strengthen the automotive terminal berth at the Port of East London. The State-owned entity says the... 

Terminal operator sought for Port of Durban

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has started a request for proposal (RFP) process for the appointment of a terminal operator to design, develop, fund, construct, operate, maintain and... 

Auto industry wants to continue exporting to the US; 2024 data show balanced trade – naamsa

When President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation travels to the US next week to meet with the Trump administration, they will do so with some guidance in hand from the local automotive industry.... 

Cape Town adds 86 000 jobs in one year; employment at all-time record

The City of Cape Town has added 86 000 jobs in a year, reaching a record level of 1.827-million people now in jobs – this according to Statistics South Africa’s (StatsSA) Quarterly Labour Force... 

Ford SA launches programme for specialised commercial vehicle conversions

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (Ford SA) has launched the Ford Pro Convertor (FPC) programme for commercial market customers seeking specialised vehicle conversions. The programme allows... 

WesBank data reveals sharp rise in cost of vehicle ownership

When combining the monthly instalment, fuel, insurance and running costs, the total price tag to own and run one of the best-selling new hatchbacks in South Africa comes to about R11 760.29 a... 

AAAM, Afreximbank and AfCFTA Secretariat launch policy course in aid of  industrialisation

The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM), in partnership with Afreximbank and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, have launched the inaugural Industrial... 

Resurgent Hyundai appoints new CEO, adds Alcazar to the model line-up    

Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai SA), a Motus group company, has appointed company stalwart Stanley Anderson as its new CEO, effective July 1. Anderson currently serves as sales and... 

New-vehicle sales up 12% – but did consumers try to beat the now scrapped VAT hike?

Total April new-vehicle sales, at 42 401 units, were up 11.9% compared with the same month last year, reports naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. The new-passenger-car market gained 16.9% in... 

Transnet seeks multipurpose terminal operator at the Port of Durban

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has started a request for proposal (RFP) process for the appointment of a terminal operator to design, develop, fund, construct, operate, maintain and... 

Moody’s upgrades Cape Town’s credit rating

Moody's Ratings (Moody's) has upgraded the City of Cape Town’s credit rating from Ba3 to Ba2, with the outlook regarded as stable. Moody’s notes that the upgrade reflects what it calls the city’s... 

1 MW solar plant to power Darling Green Country Estate, Swartland municipality

Sustainable Power Solutions (SPS) has, in partnership with Darling Green Country Estate and TouchPoint Energy, commissioned a 1 MW solar plant in Darling, in the Swartland municipality, in the... 

Keren Energy seeks customers for its Western Cape green hydrogen project

Keren Energy has made significant progress in the development of its green hydrogen (GH2) production facility near Vanrhynsdorp, in the Western Cape, says CEO George van Rensburg. The project aims... 

Auto component tariff impact to be felt in US ahead of South Africa – Naacam

The immediate impact of a raft of new import tariffs on direct component exports from South Africa to the US is most likely to be felt there first, rather than here, says National Association of... 

VW’s Kariega plant readies for new small SUV introduction

Volkswagen Group Africa’s (VWGA’s) Kariega plant will halt production for four weeks as the facility is readied for the addition of a third entry-level model to its production line-up in 2027.... 

AGL Terminals docks in Cape Town

AGL Terminals, part of Africa Global Logistics (AGL), and its partner, BALSA, have announced that they have started operations at A-Berth, Duncan Docks, at the Port of Cape Town, following the... 

APPO urges continent to exploit its vast gas and oil reserves, echoing Trump’s energy nationalism

The current estimates of Africa’s oil and gas reserves of 120-million barrels of crude oil and 632-trillion cubic feet of natural gas are considered “grossly conservative”, says African Petroleum... 

Cape Town proposes record infrastructure investment, addition of 700 law enforcement officers

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has announced a record infrastructure investment of R39.7-billion over three years as part of the metro’s proposed ‘Invested in Hope’ Budget 2025/26. He says the...