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... 

Cape Town’s R8.5bn water plan moves to tap seawater and wastewater

Seven years ago, Cape Town made global headlines for all the wrong reasons. The city faced the very real possibility that its municipal water supply would run dry amid a severe, multiyear drought,... 

Cape Town’s R8.5bn water plan moves to tap seawater and wastewater

Seven years ago, Cape Town made global headlines for all the wrong reasons. The city faced the very real possibility that its municipal water supply would run dry amid a severe, multiyear drought,... 

Time to plot a different future amid Agoa uncertainty, suggests Nedbank’s Singh

South Africa may, on paper, be eligible for preferential access to the US market under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), but this Act is currently being dismantled piece by piece, says... 

BMW SA leads Q1 premium segment with 40.6% share; healthy demand for X3 PHEV

BMW Group South Africa (BMW SA) says it has clinched 40.6% market share in the premium car market in the first quarter of the year, according to sales statistics from naamsa | The Automotive... 

Dubai, Indian govt launch initiative that will ease India’s access to African markets

DP World and the government of India have launched the Bharat Africa Setu, a trade initiative designed to double India-Africa trade. DP World is a logistics and trade group controlled by the... 

African auto body expands footprint into North Africa

The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) has opened a regional office in Tunisia, North Africa. The AAAM focuses on the industrialisation and development of Africa’s automotive... 

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.... 

Ardagh adds MAN dual-fuel trucks, smart trailers to its fleet

Ardagh Glass Packaging-South Africa has introduced five MAN dual-fuel trucks to its fleet. The performance-based standards (PBS) smart trucks – abnormal-load vehicles – will strengthen the... 

Maserati MC20 sets new autonomous world speed record

The Indy Autonomous Challenge (IAC) has set a new autonomous – in other words, there is no human in the car – driving world record at the Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) at the... 

Vector Logistics acquires its first two fully electric trucks – from tractor to trailer

Volvo Trucks South Africa has delivered two battery electric FH 6x4 truck-tractors to cold-chain specialist Vector Logistics. These truck-tractors form part of the logistics company’s roll-out of... 

Volvo Car SA cuts dealerships, chases 20% premium-market share

Volvo Car South Africa (VCSA) is rolling out a five-year programme to “Restart” the Swedish premium brand in South Africa. Part of this process is to whittle down its 19 Volvo Car dealerships... 

Economic pressure, poor support from government hurting market, says Audi; four dealers to close, says MISA

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 car maker says these... 

Keren Energy on the hunt for 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... 

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.... 

Beware dumping as Trump builds tariff wall; tariff impact to be felt in the US first – 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... 

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 sets new sales record for the second time this year

Sales for Mahindra bakkies and sports-utility vehicles 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...